Ghost of a Rose
by Aegis-Story
Summary: Summary change 2...! Ruby Rose died. A completely normal death, considering her line of work. But when circumstances give her a second shot, what happens when she discovers exactly how such a thing was possible? "The darkness within me is only innocent." PS: I suck at summaries.
1. Wilting of a Rose

**_In the end_**

**_Everyone ends up alone_**

**_Loosing her_**

**_The only on who's ever known_**

**_Who I am, who I'm not, who I want to be_**

"Weiss..." Yang said softly, poking her head through the ajar dorm room door. She frowned, seeing the girl in white sitting alone on the top bunk of the bunk bed her and Ruby share. Her ivory hair, which was usually done up in a ponytail off to the side, was hanging loose, strands of it poking out in random chaos. "Weiss, hey there." The blonde continued, stepping into the room slowly and carefully as to not upset her friend.

The girl looked up at Yang, her cerulean eyes red and blotchy, along with the rest of her face. Yang's heart went out to the poor girl, seeing her face light up with desperate hope. "Yang, please tell me she's... She's okay?" Weiss asked, her voice cracking a bit. Yang felt a wave of sorrow wash over her, it's force almost enough to choke her. She wanted so dearly to be there for the girl, and yet no one could be. Yang already had Blake; she had her support. Weiss had no one. Her support was currently lying on a hospital bed in a coma.

Yang decided to not think about why; she was already on the verge of breaking down. She had to be strong for Weiss, if not for her then for Ruby. "Weiss, we don't really know how she's doing. There haven't been any changes. On the bright side, it means she hasn't got any worse..."

"O-oh." Was all Weiss could muster, her gaze dropping to the floor. Yang could only stand in silence as she wondered if lying to the girl would have been a better option. She had watched a relationship grow between Ruby and Weiss Schnee, the second of the two wanting nothing to do with the younger girl at first. It had started off with Ruby trying desperately to make some sort of connection with the heiress, which had at first seemed like an impossible task.

But then something amazing happened. Weiss and Ruby, through all their differences, had suddenly become close friends. By the end of their first year they were almost as close as Ruby was to Yang. And then, a year later, Yang knew there was something more between the two, even if she didn't have any solid proof to base it upon. She could simply sense it by the way the two of them were always together wherever they went, by the way she would sometimes catch one or the other looking at their partner.

No, Yang decided. It was smarter to be honest. The heiress deserved honesty. "You should come sit with me and Blake. You can keep an eye on Ruby too while you're there. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you being by her side." The blonde suggested, trying to get Weiss out of the room. Being alone during a time like this wasn't good for her. She frowned when Weiss shook her head in answer.

"Come on, Weiss. You shouldn't be alone. It's not..." Yang trailed off, realizing where she was about to go. She really didn't want to trail down that road. Weiss looked up, her eyes lifeless and dull. Yang felt a shiver travel down her spine. She had never seen the proud Weiss Schnee look like this in the two years she'd known her.

"Just go, Yang."

Yang's shoulders sagged in defeat as her eyes grew moist. She couldn't help Weiss, or comfort her, or anything; only Ruby could at a time like this and she knew it. "Sure thing. I'll let you know if anything changes... Or doesn't." She said, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. She paused in the hallway and leaned against the wall, sobbing silently.

"God damn it, Ruby! You had better be okay!" She said through gritted teeth. If Ruby wasn't okay, she didn't know what she'd do.

* * *

><p>Weiss sat silently on Ruby's bed, her gaze on the floor beneath her. It was too hard to look at anything else in the room; they all held memories. Memories of Ruby. Oh, how much she'd give for the girl to be here with her, to hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay, to brush her hair and kiss the top of her head. To tell her she loved her.<p>

Weiss hated herself for not saying it yet. As close as the two were, as much as it was hinted at, neither of them had told either what they meant to each other. Sitting here alone in the same room she shared with the girl, Weiss knew it was a mistake. She should have told Ruby. She should have told her she loved her and that she meant the world to her, that there was nothing else she wanted more than to be with her, that she made her happy beyond belief, that she appreciated everything she did for her.

Instead, the last thing she had said to the girl was that she was horrible to live with. The irony of the situation was not lost on Weiss, not in the least. Unable to stop herself, Weiss fell into a fit of sobbing, her breath coming out in short gasps. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. Please, don't do this to me!" She whispered, hoping that maybe somehow Ruby would survive the fatal wounds that had landed her in this situation. And yet, in the back of her mind, Weiss knew that no amount of pleading or making up for it would save the girl.

She felt like her entire world was on the edge of a cliff about to fall and shatter into a million pieces. Her hands gripped the bedsheets as if she was holding on for dear life, when in reality it was nothing more than trying to find something to do with them. Her mind fell into a haze of misery as she considered the prospect of loosing Ruby. As impossible as it seemed, it was happening...

Maybe Yang was right. Maybe being alone was a bad idea. Maybe she should be by Ruby's side, holding her hand and telling her she'd pull through. She knew for a fact that Ruby would hate to see her like this, miserable and defeated.

"Stop it, Weiss Schnee. You're supposed to be stronger than this." She scolded herself, forcefully stopping herself from crying. The task was difficult, but she was able to pull it off, even if the occasional tear made it's way down her cheek still. With grim determination, Weiss put her ivory hair back up in an off centre ponytail. Stopping in the bathroom she applied some makeup with a shaky hand, causing her to curse more than once.

She had pulled herself together, but no matter what, she couldn't seem to stop hating herself for what she had said. Horrible to live with. What monster would say such a thing and mean it?

Ah, but that was the catch. She didn't mean it. And yet, that revelation did nothing to soothe her.

Weiss let out a deep breath to calm herself once more and brushed the wrinkles out of her clothes. If she was going to see Ruby and tell her she loved her, she'd have to look presentable. Chin raised high, Weiss made her way to the dorm room door, determined to make it. Stepping out into the hallway, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach when she spotted a stony faced Blake standing alone by the hallway that would lead to the infirmary.

"B-Blake?" Weiss said, cursing herself as she caught her voice cracking.

Blake looked over that the girl standing in the hallway, her amber eyes telling a lot more than her face. "Weiss. I was just coming to get you." Weiss couldn't take her eyes off of Blake's. She couldn't exactly tell what she saw in them, other than hidden grief.

"I was on my way. Yang is with Ruby, then?" She asked, already knowing the answer. If the blonde wasn't trying to get Weiss out of her room, she would be with Ruby.

"Indeed. She... Wanted to spend as much time as she could with her while it was possible." Something about those words made Weiss' eyes sting as tears welled up. Blake hadn't confirmed anything but Weiss felt like her heart had just been stabbed with a jagged knife.

"Lets just get going. I want to see her too." Weiss said in the most stony voice possible. If she didn't keep herself composed she'd lose it completely and never regain it again. The Faunus woman nodded and started off down the hallway, a tentative yet determined Weiss in tow.

Making their way silently down the long stretch of floor, Weiss felt her heart tightening and stretching as it tried to contain everything she was feeling. Ruby, the love of her life, could be dying at this moment. Or even worse, already dead. And nothing Weiss could do would convince her that she was going to be okay. And yet for some reason she just couldn't believe that Ruby, her rose, would wilt.

Reaching the end of their destination, Weiss found herself in a waiting room with walls painted a pale green. It was furnished with dark blue chairs and glass tables, giving it a cosy and comforting appearance which did nothing for the heiress, who was overcome with worry and pain. "It's just in here..." Blake told Weiss, leading her to an open room. Weiss noticed that the girl's voice was unusually weak.

Weiss stepped into the room, her eyes instantly filling up with tears at the scene before her. Yang knelt beside Ruby, holding her pale hand in her's while the brunette silently slept. Weiss couldn't tell, but she thought that Yang was crying.

Her attention turned to Ruby, who's entire chest was wrapped in countless bandages. Her face was bruised and swollen, and a deep red gash made it's way all the way from her forehead to her jawline. Still, she was the most beautiful thing Weiss had ever seen. She looked so peaceful that Weiss honestly felt jealous.

Wait a moment...

Weiss' breathing stopped completely, her mind unable to process what she was currently seeing.

There was no _Beep Beep Beep. _There was no prominent moving motions as Ruby breathed. Instead, there was a lifeless Ruby Rose lying on a hospital bed in Beacon Academy's infirmary.

Weiss stumbled back, shaking her head in disbelief. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. It simply couldn't. She was supposed to tell this girl she loved her, that she didn't mean the nasty things she said. Just once Weiss wished she could have felt another hug from Ruby, smelled the sweet scent of her hair and looked into her beautiful silver eyes once more.

Weiss broke down on the spot, unable to keep herself standing. Behind her she heard Blake sob quietly while Yang buried her face in the bedsheets, Ruby's hand still in her's. A nightmare she had dreamt over a thousand times, a fear she ignored everyday, had just become a reality. And yet it still all felt like a dream; a dream that any moment she'd wake up from.

**Slap.**

The sharp sound of hand against flesh resounded through the room. The pain was stinging, but not enough. No, not nearly enough.

**Slap.**

Again. Weiss felt it more this time, and yet here she was, still living this awful nightmare.

**Slap. Slap. Slapslapslapslap.**

The heiress continued to berate herself, looking for the relief of waking up. The side of her face throbbed unbearably, and she was sure that it bled but she didn't care. This pain was nothing compared to the torture she was forced to deal with inside. It was complete, brutal, torture. She felt like everything had been stripped away from her, like there was no reason for her to continue living.

"Weiss..."

**Slap.**

"Weiss!" Blake screamed, gripping her shoulders and wrenching her up off of the ground, turning her to face the amber eyed girl. Weiss stared passed Blake, her eyes devoid of anything as tears streamed down her face, leaving wet trails in there wake.

The amber eyed girl drew her into a tight hug. As the two stood there, Weiss felt like she was watching it all happen from a third person view. She tried to move her arms but realized she couldn't as Blake had pinned them to her sides. A slight whimper escaped her lips as she went limp, unable to support her own weight any longer.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Weiss knew there was absolutely nothing left for her. For all she was concerned, Ruby was lucky. She would never have to experience this kind of pain, a pain so brutal that it sucked the will to live out of you.

* * *

><p>Ruby's eyes opened. Funny, she expected to feel something. There was no pain in her chest where there should have been. Looking down at it, she gasped in surprise. Her chest was completely unscathed, even if the clothing around it was shredded and tattered. It occurred to her that she didn't know why she expected her chest to be completely mutilated; she had no explanation for it.<p>

"Where am I...?" She said out loud, looking around. She was in some sort of room. There was a bunch of 'hospitally medical stuff' as she liked to call them lining the walls. _Infirmary? _She though to herself, picking the most obvious of answers.

Wait.

She realized that she wasn't the only one in the room. Yang was beside a hospital bed holding her hand while Blake held Weiss in a tight hug. Ruby stared in confusion as she realized Blake was crying and by the way Weiss' shoulders shook so was she. Ruby's heart broke as she witnessed the scene from across the room.

"Weiss!" She called, skipping across the small distance between and hugging the heiress from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist. It took her several minutes of standing there in that position for Ruby to clue in that Weiss didn't even notice her.

"Blake?" She asked, looking up at the amber eyed girl. She was staring directly at Ruby, and yet at the same time it was like she as looking right passed her. As soon as that clicked in, Ruby realized something strange.

Yang was holding HER hand.

Ruby expected to feel sick, but she didn't. She realized with horror that physically she didn't feel a thing. She'd read enough books to have her suspicions. There was only one thing that could finalize it, that would decide if she was right.

Fearfully, Ruby put her mouth close to Weiss' ear. "Weiss, I love you..." She said quietly.

Nothing.

The brunette staggered backwards, realizing with unbridled horror what this meant.

She, Ruby Rose, was somehow a ghost.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey there! Ghost of a Rose was actually inspired from a three panel comic I saw on FB, where Weiss was sitting on a bed crying while Ruby sat beside her, a ghost, with her arm wrapped around Weiss. The feelz while writing this were incredibly annoying to deal with. The words above are the lyrics from a song called You Found Me by The Fray, if anyone is curios. <strong>

**Leave a review or whatnot if you enjoyed! I dunno how long this story will be, but I highly doubt it will be a long one. **


	2. Petals of Tears

**I don't want to live this life**

**No I don't want to lives this life...**

**Without reason.**

Weiss sat alone on the balcony outside of her dorm, wrapped up in a light blue blanket to shield herself from the chill wind. Lost in thought she watched the clouds lazily roll by against a steel grey sky, the sun barely poking through. It had been five months since Ruby had left them and now Fall was here, the brunette's favorite time of the year. The first time Weiss had found that out was when she found Ruby out here in the exact same spot, simply standing there. It was still during the first year, before Weiss really knew much about the girl.

"What are you doing out here?" She had asked, attempting to start some sort of conversation with her. She hadn't been the best of partners or bunkmates for that matter.

Ruby had visibly brightened when Weiss had showed up, her silver eyes lighting up and a wide smile breaking out across her face. "Hi, Weiss! I was just admiring the view, is all! You wanna join me?" She had asked. Weiss had shrugged and joined her by the railing, mildly surprised. She had never thought Ruby was the kind of person to really care about this kind of stuff, but she was wrong. In fact, she had been wrong about a lot of things when it came Ruby.

"I didn't know you were all for this kind of stuff." Weiss had remarked, her gaze on the red cloak around Ruby's shoulders. The brunette was wearing an alternative outfit instead of her normal attire. The heiress had to admit that with fall as her background, Ruby had looked like she belonged here, on this balcony.

"Mhmm. I love this time of the year. Its pretty, dontcha think?" She had asked, turning to look at Weiss, who in turn nodded, turning her own gaze to her surroundings. It was beautiful, really. Ruby's appreciation for it was surprising, yet Weiss had realized the more she thought about it the more it made sense. There was a hidden emotional side to Ruby, one that was a lot more sensitive. She hadn't show it often, but the heiress had noticed it every once and awhile.

"Hey, Weiss?"

The heiress looked back at her partner, shocked when she saw tears welling up in the brunette's silvery eyes. "Ruby? Whats wrong?"

"I just... I'm sorry, about last night and all." She said, her bottom lip beginning to tremble. Weiss was thunderstruck; Ruby was about to start crying.

Her thoughts instantly went back to the night before, where the brunette and Weiss had been on their way back from a night out in the town to get away from Blake and Yang, who had recently decided they were a couple. The only problem with this was that both had been in extremely bad moods. The night had resulted in a pissy Weiss and a brutally honest Ruby, a nasty combination.

"I didn't mean it when I said those things, you know." Ruby had told her, trying to regain her composure. Weiss could tell as a stray tear rolled down Ruby's cheek that it wasn't working too well for her.

"Ruby..."

"Nono, wait. I'm not done yet. I know that you have a hard life and everything and that you have a lot of weight on your shoulders, being the heiress of your father's company and all, and that I shouldn't have said a lot of the things that I did, like you being spoiled and getting a free ride through life... I was wrong. Please don't hate me..."

Weiss took a deep breath, prepared to do something she had never willingly done before, something she had never, ever imagined herself doing. Making a quick and curt step towards Ruby, she threw her arms around Ruby and hugged her tight. Weiss had been cold at times, but a crying Ruby was too much for her. "Ruby, shut up. Its fine; I can hardly blame you."

"But I-"

"How about we just call it even and forget about it, alright?" Weiss suggested, moving her head back to look at Ruby with a small smile.

The brunette nodded, hugging Weiss back just as tight.

* * *

><p>Weiss sighed shakily, trying to banish the memory. From that very moment Weiss had slowly let her guard down around Ruby, getting closer and closer every day until the two discovered there was something between them, yet never did anything about it. "I miss you still, Ruby. Why'd you leave?"<p>

* * *

><p>"I'm still here though..." Ruby said, knowing Weiss wouldn't hear her. The brunette slumped against the glass door and watched Weiss with an aching heart as she began to silently weep, her shoulders rising and dropping ever so slightly underneath the blanket. She was far past feeling bad for herself anymore; it was everyone else she felt for. Yang and Weiss had been hurt the most, both still broken by the event. Blake was the strongest of the three, and so it had been less of a challenge for her to continue on with her daily life.<p>

Ruby thanked her every night for being there for her sister; without her, Ruby wondered if Yang would still be here. The last five months had been nothing but misery; even team JNPR wasn't nearly as happy as they used to seem.

Ruby knew by now how Weiss had felt about her and it only served to make her feel worse for the heiress. So much pain had been caused and now Ruby got to watch the aftermath, unable to comfort anyone that she cared about. It was a cruel joke played by God she thought to herself often lately, the only person she could possibly blame.

With a sigh, she walked over and stood beside Weiss, wrapping an arm around her and telling her it would all be okay even though the heiress wouldn't hear her. In all this madness and misery, it was all Ruby could do. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if it was more for her than anyone else. In a place filled with loved ones and friends, she was alone, left to wonder how long she'd be here, wishing she could be wasn't. It was torturous and maddening for sure, and she wondered as it slowly ate away at her heart how long she'd be able to withstand it.

"Weiss...?"

Ruby turned around with Weiss at the sound of Jaune's voice. He was standing there in his school uniform, his expression sympathetic. "What is it, Jaune?" The heiress asked, trying to make her voice sound firmer and failing at the same time.

"I just... We haven't seen you in a while. Pyrrha- all of us, wanted to come see how you're holding up." He stated. The three of them stood on the balcony in silence, Ruby watching Weiss for some sort of reaction, praying that she'd talk to Jaune. If she kept bottling it up inside, Ruby knew that at one point it would be too much for her.

"I'm fine, Jaune." Weiss lied, "It's just hard on me. Ruby was my partner and friend; no one else was as close to me as she was. I'll be okay." She finished, somehow keeping her voice calm and firm, even though a stray tear made it's way down her pale cheek.

"R-right. Yeah, you're right. Just uh, if you ever need someone to talk to, team JNPR is here for you." He told her, receiving a curt nod in response. Ruby watched in silence as Jaune awkwardly walked away, leaving Weiss and Ruby to themselves.

The ivory haired girl walked over to the railing and leaned on her two elbows, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Ruby watched her, wanting so bad to be able to talk to her, to comfort her. Ruby was the only person who Weiss had ever opened up to about anything overly personal, and for that reason Ruby knew it would be all the harder for the heiress to ever let herself experience that kind of closeness again. The brunette may have seemed naive on the outside, but she really wasn't nearly as much naive as she was wise and hiding it.

She knew who Weiss was and how hard it had been for her to get used to being close to Ruby on any level. With this knowledge in hand, Ruby knew it would be asking for a miracle if she wanted Weiss to open up to someone else. "Weiss..." Ruby whispered, her voice choking slightly. Ruby walked over to the heiress and wrapped her arms around her, laying her head on the heiress' back. "I'm so sorry..." She said to her as she started to cry, yet no tears fell.

Ruby knew it was only a figment of her imagination, or maybe she was still wishing for it, but she thought she say Weiss mouth the words "I know" in response. The knowledge that this wasn't true only made the situation even more agonizingly painful for the brunette.

* * *

><p>Weiss lay awake on Ruby's bed at midnight, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to block all thoughts out of her mind. Closing her eyes wasn't a viable option; it just brought on memories she didn't want to remember. Sleeping was also terrifying for her, really. She kept dreaming happy ones with Ruby in it, where she was still around. One took place on a beach, where her and the rest of team RWBY would be hanging around and simply having fun. Others involved her and Ruby confessing their feelings, while others were more... Lewd.<p>

Either way, no matter what she dreamt about, it always involved Ruby. And every time she woke up from one of those dreams she felt herself die a little more on the inside. Not that much of her was alive these days; she just drifted through life, not caring about anything at all. She still didn't know why she bothered to stay in Beacon; she only did the work because it was a distraction. Then again, going home to her family was certainly not a better choice. At least here people honestly cared about her.

Her father would probably hate her to no ends if she went home. She wouldn't have it in her to act the part of a member of the Schnee family and due to that she would be nothing but a useless burden. Her sister wouldn't care if the was there or not. To Winter, Weiss may as well not exist. Her mother would possibly try to be sympathetic, but well, her father would get in the way some way or the other.

In the end her best choice was Beacon. Here she could be miserable around people who understood it. Yang and Blake left her alone half the time, sure, but they were still there. As was JNPR. Hell, even CRDL had offered their support. It wasn't much, but at least she wasn't alone. And yet, she felt like she was.

"Yang!" Weiss jumped at the sound of Blake harshly whispering the blonde's name. "Yang, what are you do- stop it!" Blake commanded her, raising her voice. Weiss shrugged, not caring too much. Whatever was going on down there was of no importance to her. She sighed shakily and turned her head to face the wall, closing her eyes. She'd have to deal with whatever dreams visited her tonight, just like every other night before.

* * *

><p>Ruby was lying beside Weiss, watching her chest as it rose gently up and down. It was a reassurance to see the heiress still breathing; every day she expected Weiss to give up. Every now and then Ruby wondered if she wasn't giving her enough credit, but then Weiss went and had a breakdown. Every day. For the last five months. Ruby stroked the ivory hair that belonged to the heiress, longing for her to actually feel her or notice her existence. As she expected, nothing.<p>

She thought it funny, in a way, their circumstances. Never did Ruby think she'd be in the same bed as Weiss Schnee. Now that they were, though, they still weren't together. As much as they both wished it wasn't so, there was something in the way. And that was the fact that Ruby wasn't really alive. It was a sick kind of funny, but it was the only humor Ruby could find in a place such as this. But there was no smile on her face.

On the other side of the room was Yang and Blake, doing very interesting things to each other. Ruby was glad that there was some sort of life still in her sister. It was odd that Yang was recovering while Weiss, who had only known her two years, was still broken. Breaking, even.

"If you could here me... I'd tell you I love you. And then I'd kiss you." Ruby whispered to Weiss, her voice cracking. She yearned so badly to be able to do such a thing. The thought of her lips pressed against Weiss' was enough to make Ruby weep, even if tears were absence. She curled up beside Weiss and cried louder than she ever had, knowing no one would hear her. No one could, nor would anyone ever. She was alone.

She pressed her head to Weiss' shoulder and let go. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as everything she had been holding at bay came crashing in on one tidal wave of sorrow and misery. "Weiss," She whimpered over and over, the only word she could think of. As the night went on, Ruby cried her dry tears, unable to stop it. There was no need for her to be strong, no need at all. It was useless to remain so.

At one point her thoughts drifted off she began to think about her past with Weiss, when she was alive.

* * *

><p>"Weiss!" Ruby called from the tree she was sitting in, waving down at the older girl as she passed by underneath.<p>

"R-Ruby?! What are you doing up there? You're gonna hurt yourself, you dolt!" Weiss yelled at her, shaking a finger at her.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her and climbed higher. "Come get me, then!" She taunted.

Below, Weiss was absolutely livid. "Ruby, I swear, if you don't come down here you'll never see another cookie in your life!" She threatened.

Ruby froze in her ascension through the foliage of the tree to look down at Weiss, her face contorted into one of sheer horror. "You wouldn't!" She said, looking as if she wasn't sure if she should risk it or not.

"Ooooh, we both know I would. Now, get down here." The heiress said, pointing at the ground beneath her. Ruby sighed and climbed down. When she reached the bottom, Weiss took a step back.

Ruby's face was one of absolute sadness; she looked like she was about to start bawling. "I just wanted to have some fun..." She whimpered.

Weiss stood still, unsure what to do. When Ruby started giggling, she felt her inner core temperature rise to unbelievable heights. "Ruby Rose, you bra-" She was cut off as a giggling Ruby tackled her, knocking the two of them to them to the ground.

"RUBY! I swear, when I get up, you're in so much trouble!" She shrieked, trying to push the brunette off of her.

"Good luck!" Ruby said, laughing hysterically loud and rolling the two over so she could wrap her legs around Weiss' waist in order to further secure her iron grip on the heiress.

"R-Ruby! Stop it!" Weiss commanded, her face going crimson as she realized how the scene must look. She struggled to push Ruby away as the brunette continued to giggle, finding the situation extremely amusing. The two rolled around on the grass until Weiss bumped them into a tree. Before Weiss could roll them the other way Ruby unhooked a leg and braced it against the ground on the other side, keeping them stuck in that position with Weiss underneath her.

The two lied there panting as they tried to regain their breath, Weiss having forgotten her embarrassment. "What gave you... The idea... You could do... That?" The heiress managed, glaring at Ruby.

The brunette, also panting, decided it was a good idea to flop and use the heiress as a bed of sorts. "I dunno. I'm guessing I don't get cookies now, right?"

"No. Not now, not ever." A few moments passed in silence. "Ruby?"

"Ruby...?!"

"RUBY!"

* * *

><p>Weiss woke with a start, trying to shake the memory from her head. Glancing around, she realized it was still dark out. Presumably around three our four AM. With a sigh, she sat up, wiping a light sweat off of her face with her hand. That dream was a new one; a memory of recent times.<p>

Weiss reached over beside her, grasping for the flashlight she now always kept with her. She didn't really like the dark as much anymore. Instead, her hand found a pile of something silky soft to the touch. Instinctively she drew her hand back, unsure what it was she had just touched. She glanced over at it, cursing under her breath. She wasn't able to make it out; the darkness was too complete.

With a frustrated sigh she got up, slipping out of the covers, noticing in the back of her mind how chilly it was. She focused on that and the mystery of whatever was in her, or Ruby's, bed in order to keep her mind off of the dream she had just had. She gently lowered herself to the carpeted floor, wishing she had something on her bare feet. She really didn't like touching things her feet; it was one of those 'things' for her. Walking over the curtains she threw them open, letting in a bright stream of moonlight in through the window.

She quickly glanced over at Yang and Blake who were entangled under their blankets together. Both were sleeping peacefully; neither showed any signs of noticing the heiress whatsoever. With curiosity taking hold of her, Weiss walked back over to the bead, thanking the fact that the moonlight was passing directly over it. There was no way she wouldn't be able to see whatever was on the bed.

She stood on her own bed and peaked over the edge, cursing her shortness. She was barely able to do it. It took her eyes a moment to adjust as she focused on the quickly becoming clearer pile of whatever on the bed.

Her breathing stopped as she finally realized what it was. She dropped from her bed and stumbled backwards, tears already streaming down her face. She hit the ground, her legs giving out. The amount of emotional pain the sight had caused her was crushingly painful; she couldn't take it.

On her bed was a handful of red rose petals.

* * *

><p><strong>Ohmahgod. This was really hard to get out. It actually took me two day to write 900 words; I pumped out the rest in the last few hours because the mood finally hit me. Yay, right? <strong>

**But yeah. I'm literally giving myself ouchies in the feels because of this. Gah, I hate hurting Weiss. ;~; But still, this is extremely FUN to write; totally different from the usual things I do. If you enjoyed, leave a review or something. Those are always welcomed. ^-^**


	3. Fading Ideals

"Blake, I-" Yang started weakly, getting cut off when Blake leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Yang, shush. I know. Just don't think about it, alright?" Blake told her, leaning out to look her girlfriend dead in the eyes, her amber eyes shimmering brightly as the sunlight reflected off of the tears that were welling up. "Weiss wanted to be alone, so let it be."

Yang looked into the faunus' eyes, searching for some sort of solace in them. Blake however was suffering the same emotional turmoil and there was no such thing to be found in the storm that was her amber orbs. "Yeah… I just… I can't handle this…" Yang trailed off, trying to hold herself together.

Blake pulled the blonde close and wrapped her up in a tight hug, resting her chin on Yang's head while they both silently cried, both trying to make sense of the chaos of thoughts in their heads.

Blake found her mind resting on Weiss. The heiress had taken the events of last night extremely hard. She had refused to talk, spending the night in the bathroom in a puddle of tears. Yang had tried to be there for the heiress, attempting to not let the unexplainable rose petals bug her. After Weiss rejected the comfort of both her remaining teammates however, Yang had broken down, Blake not doing overly well herself.

The faunus wondered just how much fight there was left to her team members or if there was any fight left at all. Stinging tears fell freely from her eyes as it finally sunk in; her world was falling apart.

* * *

><p>Ruby sat at the back corner of Yang's bed against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest, trying to ignore the scene before her. She didn't understand whatever was going on; none of it made sense. Blake and Yang were in tears and Weiss had been locked in the bathroom for hours now and Ruby didn't have a clue as to why. All the ghost knew was that she couldn't remember much of anything that had taken place before today.<p>

She remembered a few key things, like the fact that she wasn't exactly alive and that she couldn't interact with anyone at all. Other than that, everything was mostly a blur of nothing, except for a few scenes. Even stranger was that her cloak was missing.

Her gaze was on a clear glass window overlooking the front yard of Beacon which was littered with the fallen leaves of spring and summer, their colours faded from the bright shades of oranges, reds and yellows to a dull brown. Ruby felt that the leaves were mirroring her; from bright and happy and full of life to nothing but dead and crumbled.

She turned her attention back to Yang and Blake, who were now curled up together on the bed, holding each other tight as if if one of them let go the other would fall to their death, plunging into depths unimaginably deep.

A faint smile found its way to Ruby's lips when she realized both were sleeping soundlessly, finally at peace. 'For a little while at least...' She mused silently, finding a sense of calmness for herself as she continued to look at the image before her. They looked so peaceful; it was a stark contrast to what was probably really going on in their heads.

There was soft click and the quiet creak of a door opening as Weiss stepped out of the bathroom looking absolutely miserable; her hair was a mess, she was dressed in her normal sleeping clothes and her eyes were bloodshot. The girl was broken; Ruby felt like her own heart had been stabbed clear through as she realized there was no life left in the heiress. Where the world was concerned, she may as well be dead too.

Weiss stole a glance at Yang and Blake, a longing for comfort overcoming her briefly. It had been so long since she'd had a hug that it was hard to not miss them after getting used to it. The heiress made her way over to her bed, her actual bed, and sat down on the edge, Ruby's eyes following her the entire way. The brunette so badly wanted to get up and hold her, to stroke her ivory hair. Instead she settled for staying put, knowing it would be a waste of time anyways.

Weiss sat there looking at the wall behind Ruby while Yang and Blake slept, struggling fruitlessly to keep her mind off of the pile of rose petals that were on the bed above her. They couldn't be explained; nothing logically made sense. The only possibility was that someone could planted them there, but Weiss couldn't think of anyone cruel and sick enough to do such a thing; not even Cardin.

No matter what, she refused to touch them or look at them; for all she could care they were going to sit there and wither away into dust. They were nothing but a symbol of misery and she didn't need anymore of that in her life.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to wondering what was left of her life. She didn't have any motivation left in her to do anything; she didn't plan on bothering with classes anymore. Hell, she hardly planned on bothering with anything. She'd get kicked out of Beacon, go home and get to be miserable there until something happened to her; most likely getting disowned and dropped on the street to fend for herself. She probably wouldn't last that long she thought bitterly to herself.

"W-Weiss?" Blake called sleepily, propping herself up on an elbow. Yang was still fast asleep, clinging to faunus. The heiress didn't respond, staring blankly at the wall. "Are you okay?" The faunus tried again, cringing as soon as she heard herself utter those three words.

Weiss tensed, turning to the faunus with rage and hatred burning in her cerulean eyes. "Am I okay? Are you kidding me? Am I okay?!" The heiress screamed incredulously, causing Yang to wake with a start.

"Weiss, I-" Blake started, realizing her mistake. Ruby sat in the corner, watching the scene unfold helplessly.

"Blake, why the hell would you even ask that? Are you stupid? Where the hell have you been the last five months; where the fuck were you last night?" Weiss continued, about to unleash every ounce of rage and anguish upon the faunus.

"What in the hell is going on?" Yang asked, confused as to what was happening. All she know was that Weiss had just called her girlfriend stupid, and that could end up being a bad move.

"Weiss, I was only asking because I'm worried about you." Blake said calmly, ignoring Yang at the moment.

"Ooooh, you're worried about me." Weiss said sarcastically, "That's great, Blake. I really don't care. I'm not okay and I'm never going to be okay again." The heiress stated dryly, glaring at the faunus with a cold, cruel eyes.

Yang stood up, clenching her fists as tears welled up in her lilac coloured eyes. "Weiss! Shut the FUCK up! Are you really this god damn bitchy? You're not the only one who's suffering from this, princess! Ruby was my fucking sister!" The blonde shouted, her eyes shifting between their normal shade of purple and a bright red.

The heiress turned her full attention to Yang, not in the least bit deterred by the blonde shouting at her. "Shut up, Yang! Don't even start with that shit! Ruby was my partner for two years, the first person to actually give a single damn about me; there is no way you can even come close to understanding how much this hurts me!"

It was all the blonde could do to keep herself in place and stopping herself from beating the heiress to a pulp. "You stupid bitch!"

"Yang-" Blake tried to cut in, ending up only being heard by Ruby who was paying attention to every little detail.

"You knew her for two years; I grew up with her! I loved her more than anything in this world; she was my family!" Yang shouted, "Then again, what would you know about family? You've never had that kind of love before, have you?" The blonde added, her words dripping with venom.

The heiress tensed, her expression switching to one of undeniable anguish for an instance before becoming stony. "Yang, from you, I guess not. But from Ruby, I did." With that the heiress turned around crawled into her bed, turning her back to the other three in the room.

Yang stood still, shocked. She hadn't meant exactly what she had said. "Weiss, I-"

"Shut the hell up, Yang. I don't care." The heiress replied, her voice devoid of any emotion at all.

Ruby sat still, unable to move. She knew how much this was affecting Yang and Weiss; Weiss especially. She couldn't help but look at her sister with a tinge of anger; the heiress didn't need any of this.

"Yang…" Blake said softly, standing up and gently gripping the blonde's arm, guiding her to the dorm door. "Weiss… We're gonna go now." The faunus said. There was no reply, so the two of them left, Blake leading Yang. The door closed shut quietly, leaving Ruby and Weiss to themselves.

As soon as they left, Ruby heard the faint sounds of Weiss crying. Her heart ached as she considered the pain the heiress was going through. She wanted so bad to be able to talk to her, to make her understand that Yang didn't really mean it, that Ruby wasn't the only one who loved her.

Except she couldn't.

"Why?!" The brunette finally screamed, clenching her hands into fists and slamming them against the wall with no effect; there wasn't even a whisper of sound. "Why do I deserve this? What did I ever do?!" She asked no one in particular; she just wanted someone to answer her, to talk to her.

Silence.

"How is this fair? Why couldn't it have been someone else?" She continued, no longer caring about feeling sorry for herself. She didn't deserve this. She had planned on devoting her life to helping others; how did that bring on karma such as this? "I hate this! I hate it all; I just want to stop being here!" She screeched, meaning everything she said.

She no longer cared about how much the others were hurting, or how much they couldn't take it; they weren't in her shoes. Ruby was the dead one. Ruby was the one who got to helplessly watch her friends break down day after day. They still had a life to live.

"I don't want to be here…" She said over and over until it died down to a broken whisper.

* * *

><p>Ozpin watched the scene from inside his office with sympathy for team RWBY; their leader included. Indeed, the headmaster could see her. He knew she'd been here months ago. And as much as he wish he could help, he sadly couldn't. It was far too out of his range of abilities. He'd considered talking to the ghost before, but she was always with a member of her former team, usually Weiss.<p>

Of course, the idea of being a translator for them had crossed his mind. It was a shame he simply didn't have the time. However, watching as Ruby's resilient heart crumbled to pieces, he was on the verge of doing it anyways, just to give some hope to them all.

"But those strange happenings... " He muttered to himself, remembering last night. The ghost had lost a part of it; an item that had meant a lot to it in life. Ruby's cloak was no longer there; instead was a pile of rose petals. He could only guess at what it meant, but he thought that maybe she was fading away.

If so, he was happy for her. Hopefully she'd get to finally know peace. It wouldn't do the others any good, though. Ozpin was already certain that there was no hope for Schnee; her life was basically forfeit. There was no more fire in her, no more drive. No more life.

He sighed. "Ruby Rose. Just look at the chaos you've created with just your death." Ozpin shook his head and sipped from a cup of coffee, pondering what possibilities the future had in store.

* * *

><p>Ruby sat alone in a dark closet, no longer willing to sit out in the dorm with her team; the pain was unbearable. She still hadn't fully recovered from her outburst and she wondered if she ever would. She kept catching herself muttering the Yang's name over and over again. Her sister had always been there to comfort her in her times of needs; now she no longer did so.<p>

She played around with the idea that maybe they just didn't want to see her; maybe they were tired of her and were putting on some sort of act to try and get her to leave.

_Yessssss. _The voice hissed.

"No… No, thats not it. You're going mad Ruby, stop it." The muttered to herself, trying to ignore the fact that for the last little while a voice had been speaking to her in her head. It was something, but it also wasn't real. It was just more evidence that she was on her way to insanity.

_You're wrooooooooong, Rubyyyy._ It told her, sounding gleeful. It made her shiver as she thought about the fact that it was originating from her brain. _Talk to meee. You know you want toooo._ The brunette refused to; there was no way she was going to give into her own self. _Please… I'm sooo lonely here, sooo very lonely. I know you are toooo though, Rubyyyy. We've been together for fiiiiiive months now. I want you to talk to meeee, Rubyyyy._

"I-" Ruby started, catching herself. Too late. The voice had heard her; she had talked back.

_Ahhhh, there you goooooo. Wasn't nearlyyyyyy as hard as you were letting it on to beeeeee, was it, Rubyyyyy?_

"N-no… I guess it wasn't…" She said out loud with a sigh, admitting defeat. She, too, was lonely; she understood the voices needs, its longing to have some sort of comfort in such a dark place. She couldn't deny it such things when it was so easily in her power to give them to it for no price at all.

_There we go. We can be friends; you can talk to me and I'll talk to you. Such a cherishable thing a friend can be, don't you agree?_

"I do." Ruby agreed, noticing that voice had stopped dragging certain sounds out for so long.

_Do you wish to know my name, Ruby, seeing as how I know yours?_

The brunette thought it over, unsure as to what exactly was happening here. Still, it seemed harmless and safe; it beat watching Weiss cry and talk about how much she hated life and missed Ruby. "I guess so." She answered, realizing how cruel that had sounded towards the heiress. Still, it held a grain of truth or two.

_Very well. I am Mirgm._

Ruby's face scrunched up as she considered how odd the name was. It was far from conventional, that was obvious. Then again, none of this was conventional. "Mirgm then, huh? Hiya Mirgm." She said, a sense of warmth spreading throughout her body. She finally was able to talk to someone. After all this time, she had a friend.

_Do you know why you're here, Ruby?_ The voice asked, causing Ruby to shrug. She had already thought about it and hadn't been able to produce any plausible ideas. Then again, this whole situation was far from plausible in her books.

_I'm not surprised. Very well then. You're here, Ruby, because I need and want you to be here._

The brunette froze, shocked. This was why she had been put through so much emotional pain? Because Mirgm had wanted her to be here? "But why?" She asked, feeling betrayed. Already her new friend was betraying her.

_Because, Ruby. You'll soon be the reason a new life is brought into this world. Do you not want to leave Remnant behind knowing that you caused the miracle of life?_

Ruby's eyes widened as Mirgm explained himself to her. It would be like nothing had ever changed; this new life could take her place in the universe. Maybe it would even become a huntress or huntsman. "I… Mirgm, when can we do this? Can we do it now? I do want to leave Remnant so badly that it hurts…" The brunette asked, jumping up into a standing position, ready to go wherever needed.

_We could. But first it requires you to allow me to be with you as you go, for you must leave Beacon. Unless you allow me travel with you, I cannot follow to guide you._

"Then you can come, I don't care! I just want to get this done and over with!" Ruby agreed, stepping effortlessly through the closet door and into the dorm. Weiss had fallen asleep and there was still no sign of Blake and Yang.

_Very well. Ruby, we must head outside of Vale. Is this understood?_

"Outside of… Vale?" The brunette questioned, shocked. "But there is nothing but Grimm out there; what kind of life could I help in a place like that?"

_Just get going; I'll explain it on the way. You'll soon know everything, dear Ruby._

With that, Ruby set off with Mirgm, a ponderous Ozpin watching them curiously.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooooh, wuzzat? A plot finally shows it's scary little head? Hehe. <strong>

**Please, if you have the time, drop in some feedback; I love hearing from you guys. Also, I plan on only one more chapter after this one here. So like, yah.**


	4. Rebirthing

"I don't really know about this…" Ruby muttered to her invisible companion. Before her was what could have been a small city once upon a time. However, it wasn't anything close to that anymore. The former walls of large, brick building lay shattered throughout the streets, burying the hardly walkable street.

_Its alright, Ruby. No one can see you, remember?_

The brunette nodded slowly, a little tentative. This was Grimm territory and she was without any means to defend herself. It was little discerning. With a deep sigh, she put her left foot forward, then the right one. At first it was scary with the looming, ruined buildings overshadowing her, acting as the shadows for Grimm of all kinds.

As she progressed through the ruins without any hindrance from Grimm her confidence grew until she was happily skipping along, excited about finally getting to wherever Mirgm told her she had to go in order to create this new life.

_So, Ruby, I must ask. How come you were so ready to leave your friends behind back there? I know its not simply because you believe me._

Ruby paused in her steady walk, knowing the reason and feeling slightly guilty about it now that she was thinking slightly more sane. "I just… Meh. Didn't wanna be there anymore. Don't you think that I deserve some peace too? I mean, they get to sleep and stuff." She shrugged, sniffling, "I don't."

_Hmm. I sense that you're keeping something from me, Ruby. I suppose you'll keep it to yourself if you want._

Ruby nodded, continuing her march. She knew where she was headed and she was almost there.

Every now and then she would catch sight of a Grimm creature. Everytime she swore that they noticed her and yet they didn't attack her. "Mirgm, they see me. Why?" She asked, deciding that she was right.

_Hmm, I suppose they do. I've noticed it. Rather odd. I guess Grimm can sense your negativity, perhaps? They're drawn to that sort of thing and you have a lot of it. _He suggested. Ruby mulled over it silently as she progressed down a street that was actually more together than anything she had yet to come across.

"I suppose that could be it." Ruby continued in silence, her eyes darting around as she felt a sudden nervousness overcome her. Her pace grew quicker and her movements sharper. "Mirgm?" She called out the voice's name sheepishly.

_What is it, Ruby? _It answered, sounding concerned. Ruby smiled slightly, realizing that the spirit, her companion, was actually concerned for her.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about yourself as we walk?" She asked, looking for something else to focus on. This place was really giving her the creeps.

_Oh. I suppose it wouldn't hurt now, would it? Very well. As you know, my name is Mirgm. It was the name I chose in order to separate myself from others; there is no other Mirgm in this world. I am the only Mirgm. _

"Wait, you chose your name?" Ruby interjected. She'd never heard of anyone choosing their own name before.

_Indeed. You see, I'm unlike anyone else; I was never born. I happen to simply exist as a mind. I've never had a physical appearance. However, I do know what I originated from. Or at least one of the things I seem to share a connection with. _

"I… What do you mean? Did you always exist, then?" She inquired, extremely curios now. She almost missed the Ursa she was about to walk into, jumping back with an eek. Thankfully it didn't seem to notice and carried on through a maze of alleyways. Ruby let out a sigh and continued forward.

_No. I believe I am the product of many different minds, Ruby. The first day of my existince; would you like to hear about it? _He asked. Ruby nodded lightly, extremely intrigued. Mirgm was certainly a character of many faces, it seemed. The brunette let out a snort at the pun.

_Very well. It was… Incoherent chaos, to put it bluntly and simple. It wasn't just me at first. There were other voices too, all of them talking at once, each with it's own wants, needs, fears, ideas. It was horrifying to exist. None of us could see or make sense of anything around us._

_Quickly, however, the voices began to die off. I wondered why. As time went on, however, I found out. They were going insane to the point where they were just depleting and vaporizing into nothing, being whipped completely from existence. _

_By the time that first day ended, Ruby, it was just me and another voice. This voice, however, was darker, angrier and bloodthirsty. It kept rambling on and on about murder. I fought against it nonstop for the next following week, both of us testing each other. After a time we began to become one alike; both of us influencing the other._

_It's name, Ruby. Do you want to know it's name? _

Ruby paused, shocked at the question. "O-of course! Why wouldn't I!"

_Very well. It's name was, IS, Grimm. _

Ruby stumbled, guffawing in disbelief. "Grimm's don't have minds, though!" She said skeptically, finding her companion's claim impossible.

_So we've both heard after many years of travel and learning. After we finally reached a point where we got along with each other, we were able to make coherent observations of where we were. Ruby, this is the spot where we were brought into existence. At least, thats what we think. _

_After discovering the creature that Grimm was named after, we began observing them. We learned much in that time. Except we couldn't learn anything about their motives. Se we tried to make intellectual contact with them. It comes as no shock to you that there was nothing to do so with. _

_And so we decided that Grimm was something else entirely, something special. Unlike him, however, I didn't want to be labeled as such a creature. Not knowing what else we belonged to, however, we decided I must have some sort of relation to them. So I decided to go for Mirgm. _

"Hold up. How did you know that Grimm was named after them? And didn't you ever wonder why you didn't have a body?" Ruby inquired, pausing as a pack of Beowolves passed by.

_Indeed. We did wonder and still do. As for your other question… We just seemed to know. So then we began to search for others like us; at first out here and then eventually Vale, too. Thats when we sensed you. We observed you for a long time, until we realized we just seemed to know that you can create life. We didn't like watching you suffer, Ruby. So we made contact with you. It was Grimm who talked to you first. _

Ruby walked on in stunned silence, trying to come up with a proper response. "Oh.." She said, slightly confused. "Wait. You're not just one, but two?"

_Indeeeeeeeed, Rubyyyyyyy. You're a sssssssmart one for being able to understaaaaaand ussssss. _

_Yes. I'm glad you know. Now, Ruby, we're almost there. _

Ruby's eyes lit up as she picked up her pace, eager to finally be there. She was excited, no longer caring about there being two voices instead of one. They were interesting characters indeed but this was much more important to her.

_HERE!_

_HEEEEEEERE! _

The two voices yell together, stopping Ruby dead in her tracks. She looked around, noticing nothing different about this spot. It was the same as everything else; ruined. "What do you mean?" She asked, dropping to the ground in a kneeling position as she inspected the ground. Maybe there would be something there instead.

_Gaaaaaaaah, Rubyyyyyyy! How do you not seeeeee it!_

_Grimm! She is not like us; not exactly. Its okay though; we know what must be done. We understand it. We can take care of the rest for her. Is he close? _

_Indeeeeeed. He is watching, waitiiiiiing. _

_Very well. Ruby, I must warn you. This will be… Quite the ordeal. Once this process begins, there is no backing out of it. Understood?_

Ruby nodded, determined to bring this new life forth.

_Very well. It shall happen then. _As soon as Mirgm stopped talking, Ruby felt it. A searing pain shot through her entire being as she felt herself being pulled in on herself. Even in a ghostly form this couldn't be normally possible.

The pain continued as Ruby grew into a more compact form. She screamed silently, refusing to show her pain outwardly. The pain continued and continued and continued.

* * *

><p>Ozpin watched the scene from what used to be a window in a building off to the side, his eyes growing wide in concern for the poor girl. He didn't understand what was happening, but it looked painful. She'd been talking to herself for so long now that he wondered if she'd gone insane and had finally begun to dissipate. Whatever the reason, he felt the need to help her. If he could, that was.<p>

First he had to make sure no Grimm were around. They hadn't been bothering him as he had followed Ruby along, much to his wonderment. However, there was no telling what might happen. He popped out his scroll and quickly scanned the region with a device. Most Grimm were more on the outskirts of the former city; in the middle there were only a few stray ones here and there, none of them really close.

"Right. Ozpin, you're a moron." The scolded himself, jumping from the window to the streets below. He landed softly, careful not to make too much noise; he didn't want to alert any Grimm to his being here.

He looked to the girl writhing on the ground before him as she whimpered in pain. There was something odd happening here; she wasn't vanishing. He had been wrong. Instead her body was collapsing in on itself… "And then reflating." Ozpin said in a mix of wonder and something else.

Her body. Thats exactly what it was. She was becoming solid.

* * *

><p>Ruby's vision was nothing but unrecognizable shapes and colours. The pain was so unbearable that it was all she could think about. Whatever was happening she didn't like it. She didn't want to be part of this new life. She wanted to be back in the dorm, cuddling with Weiss…<p>

Weiss. Her entire focus went to the ivory haired girl who was her world. There was no one else, nothing else that she would rather see right now. It was with overwhelming grief that she realized she would never see her again. This was it. All of it. This was the end of her existence.

Hold on, Ruby. In a moment, a new life will be brought into this world. A new life that signals the existence of not one, but three.

Ruby's eyes widened even further as the Mirgm's voice pierced through the haze of agony. It's promise brought a sense of soothing calmness over her and the pain seemed to wash away into oblivion, leaving her shivering and cold.

Her breathing came haggard and short at first, gradually becoming more normal overtime. The scenery around her became recognizable as her eyes adjusted themselves. "M-Mirgm…?" She rasped, her throat feeling as if it was on fire when when she tried to make sounds with it.

_We're right here, Ruby. We're all right here._

She nodded, closing her eyes. The air around her was chilly as hell, especially after breaking out in a sweat so intense.

Her eyes shot open as she realized she was cold. She. Was. Cold. It wasn't possible. Not only that, she was covered in sweat. Ghosts didn't sweat. She struggled into a sitting position and looked herself over, slowly.

Her fingers were normal, as was her hands and arms. Her legs, too, looked the same as before. She realized with a blush that she was bare naked, though. Thankfully no one was around.

"J-just to m-make sure…" She said, an idea coming to mind. She pinched the flesh on her leg, letting out a yelp at the sharp, brief pain. Tears of joy came to her eyes as she realized it was physical pain. 'Hold on… I'm… Crying?' She thought to herself, unable to believe it. She knew it was real, that it was all happening… But after so long…

"Ruby."

The brunette jumped, turning to see Ozpin standing off to the side, his gaze averted to the sky due to her lack of decency. "P-Professor Ozpin!" She eeked, covering her breasts with her arms and crossing her legs as tight as possible.

"Here; take this." He said, tossing her his coat. She reach with it for one hand and caught it, scrambling to put it on.

"T-thank you…" She said, buttoning it up in the front. It was so large that it worked as a dress on her, something she was extremely thankful for.

"Mhmm." He said, turning to face her. The look on his face was unreadable, but Ruby knew what was coming. "What exactly was that, Ruby?"

"I-I… I think I… I don't really…" She stuttered, not really sure.

_Ruby, for the time being, me and Grimm are going to be silent. We'll leave this part up to you. And please, do not mention us to him. It could bring you even more questions that none of us can answer at this present time._

'Alright.' She thought back, hoping that would work.

"Very well. I won't pester. However, we do need to get you back to Beacon. There are people who'll need to see you, papers that will need to be taken care of…" He paused and smiled warmly at the girl, easing her anxiousness. "I'm glad you're alive again, Ruby. I don't know how or why, but you are."

The brunette nodded, thinking the same thing. She watched as Ozpin dialed a number into his scroll and then put it away into his pant's pocket. "Did you call someone to come pick us up?" She asked, looking around the area for Grimm. She was no longer a ghost anymore.

"Indeed. They should be here rather soon. Until then, we should go inside that building and wait." He suggested, motioning to the building he had formerly jumped out of.

The two of them climbed through the entrance of the building. "It looks like it used to be some sort of hospital…" Ruby observed, drawing the coat tighter around herself. It was even colder in here.

"Indeed. I was once treated in here." Ozpin told her, pulling two chairs up off the ground and setting them on their four legs. "Sit." He told her, motioning towards one of the chairs. Ruby took the seat uncomfortably, still trying to grasp the fact that she was alive.

"Ruby, we have to come up with a way to explain this." Ozpin told her. She nodded, realizing he was right. She couldn't just waltz on in there. "So, what say we make up some bull shit story about the White Fang, hmm?"

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "O-okay…" She muttered.

"You have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on, young lady." He told her, smirking.

"I don't care!" Ruby exclaimed, rushing over to the headmaster and wrapping him in a tight hug. "I'm alive! I can feel this! I can feel this…" She cried, her voice trailing off into a whisper.

Ozpin hugged her back, smiling despite himself. "It would seem so." As they sat there in that position, Ozpin wondered how. Logically she should be dead. One of these days he'd have to figure it out, along with why he could see her. He truly didn't know.

The sound of Ozpin's private airship landing outside made Ruby jump from the spot and rush over to the doorway, scrambling to get outside.

"Miss Rose, in the flesh." Glynda murmured, staring at the brunette incredulously. When Ozpin had told her she was alive, Goodwitch hadn't believed it. However, evidence proved it to be so.

Behind the professor was the gaping entrance of an airship.

"Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby greeted her happily, attacking her with a hug.

"Ruby Rose!" Glynda exclaimed in anger, stumbling back a few steps into the ship. "Please, manners! I'm glad to see you're alive, but that does not warrant you being permitted to assault me so!"

"Oh, Glynda. Calm down." Ozpin said half heartedly, joining them inside the airship. As the airship took off, Ruby found herself extremely tired. So tired that she was dead asleep within minutes, curled up beside Ozpin.

"So, Ozpin? What exactly are we doing with her?" Glynda inquired, concerned.

"Here, let me explain the plan." He told her, telling her about the White Fang idea. Goodwitch nodded in uncertainty, agreeing that it would be easier and made sense. "However, keep a very close eye on her. She was talking to herself a lot, Glynda."

She nodded. 'I can't say I'm shocked. Being alone for so long in a condition like that would bring anyone to the brink of insanity.' She thought to herself, eyeing the girl with concern.

As the airship flew steadily forward, Ruby continued to dream of flourishing fields of red roses while Migrm and Grimm watched from a distance as the girl frolicked, smiling warmly. This was now their person to protect, as much as she was to protect them. They would make sure their new physical form was never harmed in the same way again.

* * *

><p><strong>Omfgwow. When I brought that plot in, I was not expecting to end this story open for a sequel. And yes, there will certainly be a sequel. I wish I hadn't gone with only four chapters; I could have focused on Weiss and them some more instead of this. Kind of wrecks the feel train I had going on. Still, learning experience I suppose. <strong>

**Anyhow, I'm glad to finally have gotten this last chapter out. Leave a review pretty please; I really wanna know how I did on it. **

**Peace out guys and gals! ^^**


	5. Back to Beacon

**So, originally, all this stuff was planned for a future sequel. However, due to a user feeling strongly about the fact that I should just continue and me wanting to do some more with the this story as it is... Boom! More stuff already! **

They had arrived by sundown and Ozpin and Glynda had escorted her here safely.

Ruby stood outside her dorm door still dressed in Ozpin's coat, her heart beating at a thousand miles per second. Her hand tentatively reached for the doorknob as she tried to slow her breathing. There was so much that was about to happen; so many things that could. It was terrifyingly exciting.

"R-Ruby…?" A quiet, unbelieving voice asked which Ruby recognized to be Jaune's. "N-no way. A-are y-you a g-ghost?" He stuttered. The brunette turned to face the older boy who was frozen in the process of closing his door.

"Oh, hey Jaune. I uh… No, I'm not a ghost- Nononono!" She hissed at him, waving her arms in the air to signal for him to stop as he started to show signs of crying. "Jaune, please don't do that!" She pleaded, subconsciously checking to make sure all her coat buttons were buttoned up.

"I-I-I…" He stuttered at first, pausing to take a deep breath. "I don't know what the hell to even… How is this POSSIBLE? You DIED, Ruby. Died!" He informed her after he had somewhat regained his composure, "I saw you that day! I was there when they buried… You." He finished, choking a bit. The two of them had once been close friends; the emotional pain this was causing him was almost too much to bear at this moment.

Ruby sighed, glancing towards her door; it was still closed. "Alright Jaune. Can I come in quickly, so I can explain everything to you?" She asked anxiously, growing uncomfortable sitting out there in the hallway.

Jaune stood in stunned silence for a moment before nodding, opening the door fully to allow her entry into his dorm. Ruby quickly dashed into it, welcoming the feeling of safety it instantly brought to her.

She took in the entire room with her gaze the moment she entered, confirming that there was nothing in here that could possibly harm her. It was a strange impulse, not really one she'd ever had before. Considering she was back from the dead it was easily excusable. "Nora and Ren aren't here. Neither is Pyrrha." She observed out loud, plopping herself at the foot of Jaune's bed.

"Nope. Nora and Ren are off doing some community thing for the rest of this week and Pyrrha is with Yang and Blake." He told her, leaning against the door as he scrutinized the former ghost. He had been taken off guard out in the hallway and had reacted foolishly; now was the time to observe and assess the situation.

"Oh. I uh… I'm sorta hungry. I haven't really eaten in a while. Do you happen to have an cookies by chance…?" She asked sheepishly, her stomach growling as if to prove that she was telling the truth.

Jaune smiled despite himself, deciding that her being so unarmed would render her virtually harmless. "Yeah, Pyrrha always keeps a box around. Yang would come over and eat some every now and then while you were... Gone." He told her as he fished out the box from a cupboard and handed it to her. Ruby accepted it and attacked the cookies with vigor and gusto, wolfing them down so fast she hardly had enough time to breathe between them.

After several minutes of making a complete pig of herself, Ruby finally slowed down and set herself down to a nibbling pace. "Thanks!" She added, remembering she had forgotten her manners. No matter how intense the situation was she had vowed a long time ago to Yang that she would do her best to remember them.

"Right. Say, Ruby, if you didn't die… What really happened?" Jaune inquired, taking his place back at the door. At least this way if anyone tried to barge in he could stop them.

"Yeah… The White Fang came after me. The entire thing was some sort of elaborate set up. Even me falling on one of those rods was planned. That thing that apparently killed me? Pfft. I don't know much what happened after, though; never found out how they pulled off the whole making you guys think I was buried thing."

"So why did the come after you?" Jaune asked quizzically, unable to think of a good reason himself.

"They were going to use me as bait to get at Blake. Apparently Adam had a part on this." She told him, gaining a look of shock from Jaune.

"Why did they never put the rest of their plan to action, then? I mean, it was a rather long time that you were gone."

Ruby sat on the bed as she pondered what reason would sound more logical.

_I know very little about this 'White Fang'. Would it be possible for you to perform some sort of escape?_

_'I don't think so. I need something better. I thiiiink I got an idea.'_ Ruby thought back to Mirgm, still not completely sure it would work. They had only offered their opinions on anything a few times during the entire day, not once responding to her.

"They waited a bit too long. They took me over to another continent for awhile and everything. On the way over I was able to escape because they have the shittiest guards in ever." She smirked, bashing on the footsoldiers of the terrorist group the White Fang.

Jaune shook his head in disbelief, finding her story a little too far fetched. Still, it was Ruby. What reasons would she have for lying to him? Unless… "Hey, Ruby. Some day you're going to tell me the entire story about hoping continents and stuff, but I'm sure your team would love to see you. I'll message Pyrrha and tell her to bring Yang and Blake back. Weiss is in the dorm room, as always." Jaune told her. She started to object, saying that she wasn't ready to leave yet, but the stern and demanding look in Jaune's eyes forced her to admit defeat.

"Yeah, right. I guess I need to get into some more clothes than this…" She mumbled, poking a finger at the green fabric of the oversized coat.

"Say, when did you get here anyhow?" Jaune asked her on her way out.

"Oh, I was kind of just like dropped off and went here right away. Ozpin and Glynda can tell you more about how they found me and stuff."

"Wait… they found you?" Jaune asked, realizing he had never asked how she had got back here in the first place.

"Yeah! I gotta go now! This coat is annoying!" She said, leaving Jaune standing in the doorway alone. He watched her stop by her own door and take several deep breaths before she hesitantly opened it, slipping inside as fast as possible.

"Huh." Was all he could manage as he close his door and fished out his scroll from his pant's pocket. Some calls were in order.

* * *

><p>Ruby's eyes darted everywhere across the dark room as she nervously sought out her team member. Her heart skipped a few beats when she finally found the heiress who was sitting alone on her bed, her back turned towards the door.<p>

The brunette stood still, unable to move because of the torrent of raw emotion coursing through her body at this point. She noted that the song Mirror Mirror was playing lightly in the background, the cold lyrics sending a chill down her spine.

"Yang? Blake?" Weiss asked dully, her voice so devoid of emotion that it made Ruby wonder if Weiss would ever feel anything again. The brunette took a deep breath and steadied herself, preparing for any possible outcome.

"Uh, no." Ruby said quietly, unable to raise her voice much more of a whisper. "Heya, Weiss."

The heiress started to turn and froze. Ruby couldn't exactly see her face with Weiss' head still turned to the side and no light to illuminate it so she imagined it instead. Beautiful and vibrant, full of life and yet always glaring.

"W-who are you, then?" Weiss asked, her voice shaky.

Ruby's knees grew weak and unsteady as she remembered the five months of agony her and Weiss were put through. She knew what she wanted to do but she couldn't. Not yet at least.

"Can I turn a light o-on?" Ruby asked, barely catching herself.

"Mhmm." Weiss replied, resorting to making simple sounds. She had picked up on the unique characteristics the other's voice.

Ruby reached across the doorway and rested her hand on the lightswitch. This was it. Flick.

Weiss finished turning around, her gaze settling on Ruby, her face expressionless. Her eyes however were filled with tears while various emotions danced behind their cerulean curtains.

"Why?" Weiss whispered, her face finally breaking out into one of unbearable pain.

"Weiss… I'm so s-s-sorry…" Ruby said through sobs as she herself brokedown, her knees buckling underneath her. "I didn't m-m-mean to d-do it!" She screamed, clenching her hand into fists. Weiss flinched, watching Ruby from her bed, confused and unable to think of how to react. "Weiss! Please j-just forgive m-m-me… P-please!"

"I…" Was all Weiss could manage. Her heart was being tormented in ways she never knew was possible. "You're not real… I watched you die." Weiss whispered, shaking her head as tears fell in a relentless assault upon her white night gown.

"I am! I swear I am, Weiss! Please, j-just let me explain it; everything!" Ruby pleaded, trying to pull herself together.

_You're being pathetic, Ruby. Stop it._ Mirgm scolded her. The brunette ignored him.

Weiss' heart felt like it was about to turn to ash inside of her. "I-it had better be good." She agreed quietly, turning her gaze from Ruby to the door.

Ruby instantly began to re-tell the same story she told Jaune. Weiss finally turned back to her about halfway through the tale, her eyes still producing tears. Ruby couldn't tell, but she thought Weiss was actually trying to believe her.

"And so… Thats what happened. I never thought I'd make it back to Beacon; to you." Ruby finished. She swore that if Weiss would forgive her and accept the fact she was here that Ruby would tell her the real story. Someday.

Weiss' lip trembled as she gripped the sheets of the bed tightly between her fingers, trying to steady her breathing. For five months she had believed Ruby was dead. She had almost given up on life. But now…

Weiss couldn't help it. She was on the floor beside Ruby in an instant, holding her against her as tight as possible, pressing Ruby's head to her heart as she stroked the brunette's hair gently while she sobbed, unable to make any other sound. The action was more than enough for Ruby, though; Weiss had forgiven her and was accepting her. Someday Weiss would know the truth.

The two enjoyed the moment of being together once again, holding each other in a tight embrace as they silently thanked whatever god was out there. Slowly they both calmed down at the same time, both of them using the other's steadying breath as a reminder that everything was okay now.

"I thought… I didn't want to live anymore, Ruby…" Weiss whispered, her heart mending faster and faster as she realized that Ruby was really here.

"W-Weiss, I… Neither did I…" Ruby agreed, even though she wasn't actually alive in the first place. The heiress nodded, her fingers gently pulling on the brown strands of Ruby's hair. "Weiss?"

"What?" Weiss asked softly, regaining her composure after a bit of silence for the first time in a very long time.

"C-can I… Can I… K-" Ruby was cut off as Weiss put a finger to Ruby's still trembling lips. The heiress recounted fondly just how emotional Ruby was.

"Ruby, yes. Not yet, but yes." Weiss told her, knowing what the brunette was going to ask. Ruby nodded, the ends of her mouth curling up slightly to make a small smile. There was nothing more she could have wanted at this moment.

The sound of the door opening made them both look up. Standing in the doorway was Yang and Blake, both speechless.

"Is that…?!" Yang whispered and Weiss nodded.

"Wai-!" Weiss yelped as Yang ripped Ruby from the floor and crushed her in a hug while she cried, mouthing Ruby's name over and over.

"Yang…" Ruby managed, finding it hard to breathe.

_Ruby. Tell me; does she mean any harm?_

_'No! Of course not, Mirgm!' She answered in thought, sighing in relief as Yang released her grip on Ruby just a tad._

_Alright. But if anything or anyone means to harm you, tell us._

_'I will… But why?'_ Ruby was met with silence, so she turned her attention back to reality.

"Yang, hold on." Blake told her gently, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder, her auburn eyes moist. The faunus then turned her attention to Ruby. "How are you here?" She asked, accusing Ruby for not existing.

Ruby instantly went into the story again, as soon as Yang let go of her some more. By the end of it Yang was swearing death to the White Fang while Blake nodded in thought, processing the entire thing and debating if it was true or not.

"Pyrrha? Jaune?" Weiss suddenly said, alerting them all to the presence of the two members from JNPR.

"Hey there!" Pyrrha greeted, waving a hand. She smiled warmly at Ruby, "Glad you're okay, Ruby. I gotta admit, it was looking pretty bad…" She said, her gaze switching to Weiss for a split second. Jaune nodded in agreement.

"Anyhow, we had better get going. Blake, would you mind coming with us? I know your team leader just came back from the dead and all, but we need to discuss some things." Jaune asked. By the tone of his voice it was urgent and he wouldn't be taking no for an answer.

"Uh, yeah." Blake agreed, smiling at ruby apologetically. "I'll be back later guys." She told them, leaving the dorm room with Pyrrha and Jaune.

Weiss picked herself up off of the ground, glaring indignantly at Yang. "Brute." She muttered, grinning at Ruby being suffocated by Yang's ample bosom despite herself.

"Y-mph!-Yang!" Ruby managed, struggling to create some distance between the blonde and her.

"No!" Yang stomped her foot like a three year old and squeezed tighter.

"A-alright! Just pleaaaase stop killing me…" Ruby whined.

_Killing you?_

_'No, not really killing me, Mirgm. What's with you anyhow?'_

_Mm. Nothing. My apologies._

_'Whatever. Just shh, alright? I'll tell you if I have to.'_ Ruby let another mystery lay to rest as she realized suddenly that she could communicate with Mirgm and Grimm through thought process.

"Oh! S-sorry!" Yang recoiled backwards, dropping Ruby on her feet. "Wait, Ruby… You need some clothes." Yang noted.

"I agree. Ruby, go take a shower and then dress in your PJs. They're in your dresser as always." Weiss said, taking on a motherly role. She was beyond happy to have Ruby back and wanted nothing more than to cuddle the girl and cry with her, but that would have to wait.

"Gah!" Ruby made a sound of annoyance, throwing her arms up in the air as she trudged off to the shower with a pair of her PJs in her arms.

She closed the bathroom door and leaned against it, her knees feeling weak again. It had been quick and rushed and she felt as if everything was surreal. She smiled as she thought about cuddling with Weiss tonight, as she was sure she would be doing.

She slipped out of the coat and let it drop to the tiled floor, quickly skipping across the distance to get to her shower, shivering slightly without anything to cover her bare flesh. She gripped the shower knob and cranked it halfway to the right, making the water hot but not scalding hot.

The water came down at a high pressure almost instantly. That with the hot temperature worked together to relax Ruby, who found herself leaning against the wall lazily as the water pelted her naked form.

_Ruby._

Ruby sighed, wondering if she would ever know what peace was. _'What is it, Mirgm? And why doesn't Grimm ever talk to me?'_

_Grimm doesn't have much to say, really. We agreed that it would be me who would do the talking._

_'Right. So uhm. Before you tell me what you want, actually, why are you guys still here exactly?'_

_Because we must look after you. We gave you life; now you must survive for us._

_'Oh. So uhm… You know what, I don't want to know how you did it. What do you want?'_

_I was wondering if you still plan to be a hunter?_

"O-of course! What kind of question is that?" She asked out loud in outrage, forgetting momentarily where she was.

_I wouldn't advise it. Its a highly risk oriented job and you've already died once._

_'Couldn't you always just revive me?'_

_You've become connected with us; I don't know if it would work again or not. Frankly, I don't think you'd want to find out or not, would you?_

_'Eh… Not really. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop chasing my dream. I was given a second chance and I don't plan on wasting it by sitting around on my ass!'_

_So instead you're going to basically suicide._

_'W-what? No! I'd never do that! I'm doing this to protect other people, Mirgm. If you're going to stick around with me you're also going to have to deal with that fact.'_ Ruby waited in silence for a few minutes until she determined Mirgm was done talking.

She stood in the shower for a little longer before lathering herself in body wash and rinsing it off. She turned the knob of the shower till it was directly in the middle, shutting the water off completely.

She stepped out of the shower box and grabbed a towel, using it to moderately dry herself. Eagerly she slipped into her black panties and pink and rose decorated flannel pajama pants, throwing a loose black tanktop on to finish the atire off. She checked herself in the mirror to make sure her hair was more or less brushed before leaving the bathroom.

The air out in the dorm room was considerable cooler compared to the steamy shower. "Weiiiiiiss." She whined, dragging her feet across the carpeted floor as she walked over to the heiress who had her nose buried in a text book.

"Oh, Ruby! You actually took the shower? Imagine that." Weiss said sarcastically, setting the book down.

"I've hardly been back an hour and you're already starting?" Ruby complained, plopping herself on Weiss' bed. "Hey, where did Yang go?" The brunette inquired, noting the absence of her older sister.

"She went out with Blake when she came back. The two decided they were going to celebrate and…" Weiss trailed off, absently moving her hand to stroke Ruby's hair.

"Oh. And?" Ruby asked curiously, leaning over so she was resting against Weiss.

"And nothing. They just wanted to do some celebrating." Weiss finished, wrapping her arms around Ruby's shoulders and leaning back, taking the brunette with her.

"Weiss, the light!" Ruby reminded her, not one to fall asleep with such a bright light illuminating her sleeping quarters.

"Dolt, the light is clap activated too." Weiss reminded her, loudly clapping her hands together. The sharp sound was followed by a soft click as the light vanished and bathed the room in darkness. "See?"

"Oh…" Was all Ruby said, slightly embarrassed. It quickly passed as she realized that she wasn't just laying with Weiss for once; she was actually laying with her. Her face went red when she remembered the question she had asked earlier.

"Hey, Weiss?"

"What?" Weiss answered, still combing Ruby's hair with her fingers.

Ruby rolled over onto her stomach despite Weiss' weak protests. "C-can I… Do that uhm… Thing, now?" The brunette nervously asked, her body tingling all over as she blushed furiously. She didn't know what she was doing and yet she knew she wanted it.

Wanted it so bad in fact that she could hardly contain herself as Weiss took her time to answer. "I suppose you-" The heiress was cut off as Ruby went for a kiss and instead crushed Weiss' nose with her forehead.

"Oops! Sorry, sorry!" Ruby apologized, hiding her face in Weiss' ivory hair. "Sorry…"

"You stupid imbecile!" Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to recoil in shock.

"W-Weiss, I didn't mean to-" Ruby got interrupted as Weiss pressed their lips together, her hands cupping the sides of Ruby's face. Ruby's body froze as she realized what was happening as Weiss' tongue glided across Ruby's teeth, making the younger girl shiver.

Weiss held the kiss for a bit longer before breaking it apart, breathing heavily and shaking from the excitement it had brought her. Ruby was wide eyed and still frozen in place. "Ruby?!" Weiss called in alarment as Ruby continued to not breathe. As soon as the brunette's name was called she took in a huge gulp of air.

"I.. I…" She stuttered, unable to make comprehensible sentences.

"Thats how you do it. Dolt." Weiss teased, grabbing Ruby and pulling her close, lying the two of them down and pulling the covers over them up to their waists. "Now shh so we can sleep." Weiss told her, waiting for a reply. It didn't take her long to realize Ruby was already snoring.

Weiss smiled softly, still having a hard time believing Ruby was here with her again.

"No matter what, I'll never let you get hurt again." She whispered to the sleeping form on top of her, "Never."

* * *

><p><strong>So uhm. I'm not the best at writing out certain scenes. I dunno how real any of this seemed, so if someone feels like giving me input on that, sweet. I'd love you 5ever. c; Anyhow, leave a review, favorite, follow, whatever you want to. Or both. Maybe even all three! Its mightily appreciated! Gave a great night and sorry for missing One Shot Saturday; I guess I'm doing a One Shot Sunday tomorrow... <strong>


	6. I don't want to die

Ruby stared blankly at the text on her paper, her troubled mind elsewhere. She was alone in the dorm room of team RWBY, her other team members having all gone out for their classes. She would have been with them if it weren't for the mountainous pile of homework she had to work through. Ozpin had also said it would be safer for her to lay low while he takes care of paperwork regarding her not being dead after all.

She couldn't help but wonder about Jaune. She hadn't really noticed it until earlier this morning, but last night he had been looking at her strangely, as if looking for something to prove she wasn't real. Of course, she couldn't blame him. But then he had called Blake into his dorm room, no doubt to talk about Ruby. He really didn't believe her.

_No, he doesn't. But I don't see how it should bother you; he hasn't presented anything to justify that belief. I find this "school work" useless and tedious, but apparently you should be doing it. _

"Mirgm, shut up. I'm trying to." She grumbled in annoyance, scanning over the printed out lecture again. "This is seriously not good for me." She whined, unable to concentrate. She was angry, nervous, edgy, and among all, lovesick. Waking up this morning had been a task and a half for both Weiss and Ruby, neither of them really wanting to leave the other.

Still, Weiss needed to attend her classes and Ruby had to catch up so she could join her. And so Weiss had left with Yang and Blake, telling Ruby she had better actually do something productive with her day.

_Maybe some coffee? You like that, correct? Another shower? Just something to relax? _Mirgm suggested, trying to be helpful. Ruby had to admit as she stretched herself out that a coffee sounded good. So did a shower.

"I didn't know you cared so much, Mirgm." Ruby jabbed teasingly, getting up from her seat at her desk and making her way across the room to the bathroom. Shower first, coffee next.

* * *

><p>Weiss focused as hard as possible on professor Port as he carried on with high details about the best way to theoretically cut down a Grimm without it spotting you.<p>

"If one were to be quick enough, you could easily get behind your target before their initial instincts kick in to attack, therefore allowing you to strike a fatal wound before the battle has even begun. Of course, if you use some sort of sniper weapon, you wouldn't have to worry about that in the first place."

Weiss spaced out again, her thoughts wandering around the subject that was Ruby Rose, the former dead girl. Last night she had been overwhelmed by the reappearance of her leader, friend and now girlfriend that she hadn't even thought to give Ruby's tale much thought. The more she thought about it the more questionable it became, something that was causing Weiss a lot of discomfort. Was Ruby hiding something from them? And if so, what was it? Was she really here at Beacon again on her own terms, or was there something in the background? It made her shudder as she thought of Ruby not actually being out of trouble yet.

"Ms. Schnee?" Professor Port called, sounding concerned.

"W-what?" She answered, noticing the side glances everyone was suddenly giving her.

"You were shaking. Are you okay?" Yang asked, gently laying a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"I-I was? I didn't notice… Yes, I'm alright. My apologies." She said with an apologetic smile.

"Very well then. I'll continue." The burly man informed them, starting the lecture over again. Weiss sighed, wondering what had gotten into her. She usually wasn't so… Weird.

"Hey, you sure you're alright?" Yang asked again, her lavender eyes squinting as she tried to search for any sign of irregular movements made by the heiress.

"Ugh. Yes, Yang, I'm fine. Now pay attention!" Weiss scolded her, flicking the blonde on the bridge of her nose.

Yang reeled back, her hand shooting up to her nose. "Owww! What the hell?"

"Girls, is everything okay up there?" Port asked, growing impatient with the interruptions.

"Indeed, sir. Yang was simply trying to copy notes and I wouldn't let her." Wess lied. Yang sputtered in anger, considering punching Weiss in the boob.

"Ms. Xia Long, I'd prefer if you kept your attention on your own paper."

Yang sighed, making a mental note to never see if Weiss was okay again. "My bad." She muttered, angrily scribbling a doodle of a fat Weiss on one of her papers.

Weiss paid it little attention as she watched the clock tick by; she needed to be with Ruby right now, to assure herself that the brunette was still here. There was only an hour of time left to wait through. She could handle it.

* * *

><p>Ruby watched the coffee put fill up slowly, a towel her only piece of clothing at the moment. There was still another hour go before she'd have to worry about looking decent; she was much more comfortable right now.<p>

_Ruby, you're rather vulnerable in this condition. _Mirgm noted.

"Pfft. I'm in my dorm room in Beacon, Mirgm. Stop worrying so much; relax!" Ruby sighed at him, lazily preparing her coffee cup while smiling happily at the thought of drinking the stuff again. She had missed it.

_You're a horribly care free person, Ruby. One would think that after dying you'd be more careful. _

"One would think that you'd bugger off." Ruby mumbled, pouring her coffee. She sighed in bliss when she smelt the sweet bitter aroma of the dark brown liquid. Life was good.

_One would think you'd be more appreciative of what me and Grimm did for you. _

"I am; you're just extremely annoying." Ruby said, sitting herself down at the desk and tentatively sipping her coffee. She jumped back as the searing liquid entered her mouth, burning the tip of her tongue. "Owwie…" She whined, putting her free hand over her mouth.

_Honestly, Ruby. You're a hazard. _

Ruby glared at nothing and decided she was done talking to him. It wouldn't be a difficult task considering all the good reasons she had just now acquired to justify doing it. She glanced at the clock and sighed; it was still so long.

She turned to her paper and started reading again, trying to absorb herself in it. "Gah. This isn't even helpful!" She complained, drawing out the 'ul' for far too long.

A sudden random idea struck her, an idea that was such an utter waste of time that she loved it. She grabbed her scroll which had been sitting on the desk unused until now and loaded up the web page Remnant-Tube. It was time to watch some cat videos.

* * *

><p>Weiss more than quickly walked down the dorm hall, eager to finally get back to Ruby. The poor girl had been stuck by herself in the room studying all day. It must have been horribly dreadful for the brunette.<p>

She opened the dorm room upon reaching it, expecting to find a fully clothed Ruby Rose bent over her desk catching up on her many missed classes. What she saw couldn't have been further from the opposite.

Ruby lay on her back sprawled out on the carpeted floor, a towel the only thing covering her naked form. She was giggling at whatever video was playing on her scroll which she was holding above her head.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss shouted her name in fury, her dainty hands balling into frighteningly white fists. The younger girl did a double take, tossing the scroll across the room and picking herself up off the ground, turning to face Weiss with the towel held in front of her.

"Oh. Uhm. I. Uh. Weiss?" Ruby stuttered nervously, her face crimson.

"Yes, Weiss! What did you do, decide you were too good for this school thing? Oh, and clothes. What's the deal with that?" Weiss continued to shout, stomping her foot for added effect.

"Well, I took a shower…" Ruby mumbled, awkwardly trying to cover herself the best she could with what she had. Weiss found herself having to look away as the young girl struggled in order to spare Ruby what little decency she had left. Besides, Weiss wanted to stay angry at her.

"You insufferable dolt! What, did you forget how to dress yourself? And why were on the floor; and what the hell were you watching?!" Weiss added the last bit with panic, her mind wandering to dark places.

Ruby finally got the towel on enough so that it was concealing her body for the most part and sat down on her bed, realizing how childish this was all about to look. "I uh, didn't want to put any on yet. Secondly I don't know. Thirdly, cats."

Weiss stared dumbfounded at the younger girl, her anger diminishing. "Cats?"

"Cats."

"So you weren't studying because you wanted to lie on the floor and watch cats." Weiss stated out loud to make sure she had it all correct.

"Yup." Ruby beamed, noting the difference in Weiss' tone of voice.

"You're helpless." Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She made a conscious decision to keep her eyes off of Ruby; she had spent five months without her and now they were together. This situation was dangerous.

"Weiiiiss! It was so boring!" Ruby complained, putting on the best puppy dog face she could. Her efforts were useless as Weiss continued to keep her attention on the floor.

"I don't care! Go get dressed!" She ordered, pointing blindly at the bathroom door.

"Will you forgive me then?" Ruby asked quietly, moving off of the bed and walking close to Weiss. The heiress felt her heart race as the brunette's smooth legs came into her field of vision. A feeling of dread came over her as she realize just how close Ruby would have had to of been for Weiss to be able to see them. She stood there fidgeting with the hem of her uniform's skirt, taking a deep breath.

"Maybe." She muttered, cursing in her head at how weak her voice had sounded. She thanked the fact that Ruby was as naive and childish as she was.

Weiss cried out in protest when Ruby gave her a hug from the side, wrapping her arms around the heiress' waist. "Hehe, okay then! Wait for me~!" She sang, letting go slowly and skipping off to the washroom to do as she was told.

Weiss looked up at the girl just in time to catch a full view of her bare back side as she dropped the towel, slipping into the bathroom. Weiss felt herself staring at the bathroom for far too long, her mind wandering down roads that she had tried to not wander during this encounter. It wasn't fair that Ruby had done that to her, despite the fact that Weiss had known it to be innocent.

Weiss sighed shakily and went and sat at the desk Ruby had all her homework piled up at, grimacing in mental pain as she thought of how much of a task this must be for the younger girl. It wasn't like Ruby was that interested in paperwork. Weiss grabbed the paper Ruby had been reading and lazily scanned it, raising an eyebrow. Apparently Ruby was taking some rather advanced extra credit stuff. "Oh well, I could always write down some notes for her…"

* * *

><p>Ruby dressed hurriedly, trying to ignore her own bodily reactions. Sure, Ruby had done it purposefully just to tease Weiss, but she herself had felt the outcome of her actions too.<p>

_Ruby, would you like some advice?_

"Uh… I guess?" Ruby answered cautiously, slipping into her black stockings. She was fully clothed now.

_Do not mess with this girl. I get the feeling she knows how to get back at a person. _

Ruby sat still, smirking. "Yeah, I'm counting on it." She said slyly, catching Mirgm off guard, though she wouldn't know that.

_Humans are odd. _Mirgm observed, gaining a nod from Ruby.

"Totally agree." Ruby muttered, checking carefully to make sure her blazer wasn't fully done up. She didn't know where this side of her had come from, but she was enjoying it. Teasing Weiss was… Fun.

She exited the bathroom quietly, careful not to let Weiss hear her. The heiress didn't notice, still sitting at the desk with her attention on the paper. Ruby smiled; not only was she getting to enjoy herself, but she was also getting some of her work knocked off for her.

"Ruby. I swear, if you try it, I'm going to make you regret it." Weiss said coldly, looking over her shoulder at Ruby who was in a crouching position.

"Eeeeh?" She replied, sitting down in the middle of the floor innocently. "I uh, wasn't doing anything!" She giggled, causing Weiss to sigh.

"Ruby, I swear, you're the most unmature person I know."

Ruby's face turned into one of shock. "W-Weiss… Did you really just do that?"

Weiss stared at Ruby in confusion, not catching on. "Do what?"

Ruby was trying unbeknownst to Weiss to stifle a laugh. This was impossibly hard. "Y-you just s-said unmature! Bahahaha!" Ruby rolled over onto her side, tears of laughter falling freely down her face while Weiss watched in silent fury, her hands gripping the edge of the desk so hard it was physically painful.

Weiss had really just done that.

"Ruby. You're a horrible person." Weiss muttered spitefully, hiding her head in shame.

"Awww, Weissy~!" Ruby sung her name in her high pitched and admittedly beautiful voice. She came over and wrapped her arms around the heiress' neck, resting her chin on Weiss' shoulder so she could see half of her face.

"Go away." Weiss murmured, turning her head away from Ruby.

"Nope!" Ruby protested happily, hugging tighter.

"R-Ruby, I can hardly breathe!" Weiss snapped, trying to pull away.

"O-oh…" Ruby let go, stepping back a bit. Weiss had actually sounded aggravated, causing Ruby great alarm.

"I really don't want to die so soon you…" Weiss trailed off, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. there was something about the word die that was morbidly disturbing for her.

"I-I would never h-hurt you…" Ruby said, her voice hardly higher than a whisper.

Weiss snapped her attention to Ruby who had backed up a good distance. Weiss noted that her blazer was undone. "Ruby, its alright…" Weiss assured her calmly, standing up slowly.

"I didn't mean to…" The brunette told her, her voice now hardly audible.

"Ruby, its alright! It was meant to be a joke!" Weiss told her, trying to calm Ruby down. She felt a sick feeling in her gut as she realized Ruby was actually starting to cry.

"I.. I… No more dying!" Ruby screamed, falling to her knees as she clutched the back of her head with her hands, pulling on her red tinted hair.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried, rushing over to the girl after the initial shock, kneeling beside her. She placed a hand on the younger girl's sobbing shoulders, rubbing them in an up and down motion.

"I don't want to die! I don't want anyone to die!" Ruby howled in madness, throwing herself away from the heiress and backing up against one of the far corners of the dorm room. Weiss watched with a mix of fear and regret. There was no denying it; this was Weiss' fault.

"Ruby, no one is going to die! Not me, not you, not Yang and not Blake. No one." Weiss said in a strong and firm voice, trying to break whatever maddening dream that was plaguing the troubled girl's mind.

"They don't know! No one knows! They aren't sure; what if it happens again?" Ruby cried, falling slowly to the ground in her corner, clutching at her chest. "I don't want to do it again!"

_Ruby. Calm down. You're alright. _

"N-no! I'm not alright! I can't be; this isn't right, its wrong!" Ruby shouted back angrily; she couldn't make sense of anything around her, it was all blurry and black. In a fit of panic she began tearing at the shirt underneath her blazer, trying to rip it off. She was suffocating. Dying.

_Ruby, listen to me! You are NOT dying! You are perfectly fine; everyone is! I will not let anything harm you!_

Ruby ignored Mirgm, not believing him. He was wrong. Nothing could protect her, she wasn't supposed to be alive. She cried out in short lived relief as the shirt finally gave way, exposing the inner part of her chest.

"Ruby! Stop it!" Weiss screamed in horror, rushing over to the girl and grabbing her wrists as the brunette began to tear at her flesh with disregard for the pain it caused.

"I can't! I can't! I can't!" Ruby continued, her efforts only being slowed slightly by Weiss, who was no where near on the same physical strength as Ruby. Weiss began to cry in horror as Ruby began to bleed, her nails piercing the skin.

_Ruby, I said I'll protect you. I will do whatever must be done to keep that promise. _

Ruby suddenly froze, unable to move a muscle. The paralysis effect only served to terrify the girl even more as she began to hyperventilate.

_Calm down, Ruby. You're in good hands. I'm here. Grimm is here. Weiss is here. You're safe. You're alive._

Ruby heard the words only vaguely. However, in this sea of madness, they shone like a lighthouse on the edge of a cliff in a dark and stormy night. She grasped onto them as Mirgm continued to repeat it.

At one point she was finally breathing normally again, the terror seeming to have passed. Her eyes fluttered as the scene around her began to materialize and make sense. There was a dark blotch with white hair standing leaning over her. No, wait. Not a blotch. It was Weiss.

"W-Weiss?" Ruby whispered, unable to make anything louder come out.

"I'm right here, Ruby!" Weiss told her, grabbing hold of Ruby's shaking and bloodied hands. Weiss, too, was shaking, perhaps more so than Ruby was.

"M-my chest hurts…" Ruby said, wincing as she began to feel the agonizing pain between her breasts.

"I know. Shh, baby. You're going to be okay. I'm going to call a nurse, alright?"

"Don't leave me!" Ruby pleaded, gripping Weiss' hands even tighter.

"O-okay! Okay. I wont. Just let go of my hands for a moment so I can make the call, alright? I'll stay right here." Weiss said assuredly, looking into Ruby's terrified silver eyes with her cerulean ones as she gently pulled her hands from Ruby's.

The brunette watched Weiss intently as she made the quick call; she refused to let herself look down. She could feel the warm, sticky blood pooling slowly down there and it terrified her. She knew whatever had happened she had done it to herself.

"Alright. Please hurry." Weiss requested calmly, hanging up. She turned her full attention back to Ruby, grabbing her hands gently and squeezing them. "Are you okay?"

Ruby nodded carefully, checking to make sure herself. "I think so… Weiss, I'm sorry… I don't know what… It was scary… It wasn't your fault." She mumbled, wincing as her wound started to hurt a tad bit more before dying down again.

"I-its alright. I'm just glad you're okay." Weiss said softly, leaning in and carefully kissing Ruby's lips, calming both of them as they embraced the sweet relief it brought. At this moment, it was only this that they cared about. Their tongues met and snaked around each other as they danced the sweetest of dances, each trying to subdue the other. Weiss noted somewhere in the back of her mind how nervous Ruby seemed, her upper lip trembling and her hands awkwardly searching for a handhold on her partner.

Weiss broke the kiss apart grudgingly as the door opened, a nurse stepping in. Her pale green eyes instantly fell on Ruby who was now breathing in short ragged breaths as the pain of her wound increased. The nurse quickly replaced Weiss' spot and began inspecting it, making tsk tsk sounds as she went along.

"How bad is it?" Weiss asked, concerned.

"By the looks of it, she wasn't that far from causing some horrible damage. This isn't pretty, but it can be easily healed."

"H-how do you know it was her?" Weiss asked, realizing how as soon as she asked.

"The hands." The nurse muttered, busy disinfecting the wound. "I'm going to guess this was unintentional?" The nurse asked, shooting Ruby a questioning look.

"Y-yeah. I guess I haven't been sleeping enough and it got to me." Ruby mumbled, averting her eyes. It was a horribly weak excuse, but she couldn't really come up with anything better. The nurse must of had some info because she was neither questioning Ruby being here nor her poor excuse.

"Mhmm. Well, Ruby, this is rather nasty. If you don't mind, I'd like to bring you to a private infirmary."

"Private?"

"Private." The nurse repeated, giving Ruby a both reassuring and knowing smile. Weiss noticed it too and couldn't help but wonder what she was missing.

"Alright. I guess that would be better…" Ruby sighed and with the help of both the nurse and Weiss stood up.

As the three made their way down the hallway, a question began to plague her mind.

How come she hadn't been able to move her own body?

* * *

><p><strong>So, it was slightly hard trying to figure out where to go next, which chapter I wanted to put into play first. So, this came out. I hope you guys all enjoy it. c: <strong>


	7. Infirmary pt1

**So uhm, I wanna start by saying sorry for the length of this chapter. It isn't my longest. The story is sadly going to have to slow down plot wise. I'll keep feeding you guys with tiny little tid bits of info on everything like with this chapter, though. **

"Ruby?" The brunette reacted to her name and sat up in her infirmary bed, her silver eyes searching for her caller. She smiled when they set upon Yang, whose face was riddled with worry and concern.

"Oh, heya Yang. I'm fine!" Ruby told her, gaining a look from Weiss who hadn't left Ruby's side.

Yang crossed her arms and sighed. "I wouldn't call whatever that was fine."

"Er, could we not make a deal out of this?" Ruby asked, averting her eyes to the wrinkled bed sheet she was lying under. Weiss wouldn't keep her eye off of the poor girl for a second and Ruby had caught her more than once eyeing the bandages on her chest.

"Its a pretty big deal, Ruby. We're not going to just blow this off." Weiss stated matter of factly, her eyebrows drawing into a glare as she directed her gaze at the younger girl.

"Yeah. I agree. That was weird, Ruby. What the hell caused that to happen, anyway?" Yang inquired, stationing herself at the end of Ruby's bed.

"I… Beats me! Guess it was just a nervous reaction; Weiss was getting pretty close and all!" Ruby joked, laughing awkwardly.

"R-Ruby! I don't care what you think about it, but this is no joking matter!" Weiss cried, her face taking on a crimson shade. "Take this seriously!"

Yang couldn't find any humor in the situation either. Her baby sister had just self mutilated herself after supposedly returning from the dead. There was no humor to be found here. "Ruby, that was far from normal. People don't just do that, you know?" Yang exclaimed, gesturing to Ruby's wound. "Okay people don't just go nuts like that."

Ruby shrugged, deciding not to say anything. Weiss was overly worried and Yang thought she was insane or something. At the moment there wasn't really anything that would ease the situation.

"I think it would be best if we make sure she's kept here for a while, then?" Yang suggested to Weiss, obviously not caring about Ruby being in the room.

"I'd say that would be a good decision." Weiss agreed, ignoring the fact that Ruby was looking more hurt with every passing second. The girl truly didn't know what was best for herself, Weiss had decided a long, long time ago. She may have some sort of affinity towards knowing what to do for other people, but when it came to herself, she was simply clueless. "Ruby should stay here where people can help her should this happen again."

"I hate you guys." The brunette grumbled, cringing inwardly at the expression on Weiss' face after she had said the words. Ruby had to keep reminding herself just how emotionally damaged Weiss still was. "I mean, you know. Not really hate…"

"You two should leave her be in my opinion." Blake said, tossing in her own two cents. Ruby looked up at her in appreciation as the faunus entered the room.

"Huh? Are you serious?" Yang asked incredulously, her hands clenching into angry fists.

"I am." Blake nodded, her amber eyes calm. "She just went through something traumatic. You think you'd be a little more careful about your words, considering what roles you both play in her life."

"We're worried for her, Blake. Considering our 'roles in her life', I'd say we have a right to be! Weiss is her partner and I'm her sister; cut us some slack kitty cat." Yang snapped, using the nickname she had given Blake due to her partner's distaste of said title.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other uncomfortably. No one else really knew what their relationship status was, yet. So really, to everyone's knowledge, they were simply partners as huntresses, not partners romantically.

"Whatever. I didn't come here to speak to you two about trying to be nicer about this. I came here to make sure my leader was alright." Blake offered Ruby a minor smile, which Ruby returned in kind.

"She is for the time being. Hopefully it will stay that way." Weiss muttered, squeezing Ruby's shoulder. Ruby knew just how much this affected everyone around her; it had affected her, too. Not only was she terrified for her mental health, she had a question that for some reason neither Mirgm nor Grimm would respond to.

"Yeah. Maybe she just needs some sleep?" Yang suggested, giving both Blake and Weiss a look.

"You two can go; I have a few questions to ask Ruby first, if you don't mind?" Blake asked, looking to Ruby for a response.

"Uh, sure, I guess." Ruby agreed, shrugging. She wasn't too tired yet. It was creeping up on her for sure, but it wasn't bad.

"You're kidding, right?" Yang asked, not sure who to look at. Blake had asked the question, but Ruby had agreed to it. It was stupid on both accounts in her opinion. "Do either of you even give a shit about yourself?" She snapped bitterly, turning to Ruby. The brunette was becoming seriously frustrating.

"Yang, its fine. Seriously, it is!" Ruby told her sister before turning to Weiss, who was looking at her in obvious disapproval. "You too, Weissy. I can handle some questions, guys."

Weiss sighed and sat down on the bed next to Ruby. "Whatever. Blake, ask your questions. Ruby… You're a brat."

Yang glared at Blake silently but didn't object.

"Neither of you are going to like this, but I'd rather ask these questions with only her in the room." Blake explained. Yang's expression would have been almost comical had it not been for the moods of the other three girls.

"W-what do you want with her alone?" Weiss asked alarmed, sounding both threatening and worried.

"Excuse me?" Was all Yang said, her lavender eyes narrowing into tiny slits.

Blake sighed. She had known beforehand how difficult this would be. Still, Jaune had brought up some good points. She had to know. Maybe now wasn't an ideal time, but still. She needed to know. "

"Ruby, are you okay with this?" Blake asked, all but ignoring the other two.

"Uh… I mean… Yeah?" Ruby managed, taken off guard. Blake's request was fine at first, but now it seemed odd.

"See?" Blake shrugged at the other two, who only glared. "If Ruby has no problem with it, neither should you two."

Weiss started to say something but shut her mouth at the last second. Ruby wouldn't ever forgive her if she hadn't. Yang stuttered incomprehensible syllables until Weiss gave in and dragged Yang out of the room, despite what they all figured was Yang's angry protesting.

"Right." Blake sighed, turning to Ruby. "How are you feeling, though?" The faunus asked, turning her back to her leader.

"I'm fine…" Ruby answered, turning her attention to a frayed corner of her blanket. Absently she picked at it, not wanting to look at her team member. Her instincts, or what she thought were her instincts, were telling her this was going to a very invasive interrogation.

"I'm glad. Do you mind re-telling your story?" Blake asked. She decided that if Ruby didn't want to answer, she wouldn't have to. At least not yet.

"What? I guess it wouldn't be a problem, really." Ruby agreed, awkwardly re-telling the story the best she could. It occurred to her that the story sounded so outlandish that it was shocking Ozpin and Glynda had helped create it.

"Interesting. You're lucky." Blake muttered, matching the story with what Jaune had toold her and what Ruby had told her before. It was all the same; nothing changed. If this story was a ruse, she was doing a good job at sticking to it.

"I mean, a black cat hasn't ever crossed my path before." Ruby joked, her voice nervously high pitched.

Blake whipped around, her amber eyes ablaze with fury. "That wasn't funny, Ruby." Blake hissed, her voice threatening and certainly scary.

"R-right. Sorry." Ruby apologized quickly, drawing the blanket around her.

"Right. And who knows, one may. It all depends really." Blake muttered, considering how to approach this. She didn't want to make Ruby clam up. If she asked the wrong question that could happen. She had to carefully draw the answers out of the girl.

"Eh?" Ruby asked, pondering Blake's words. Something at the back of her mind was being naggingly annoying, pestering and pestering.

"Nevermind. Ruby, do you not know where you went? Which continent, I mean." Blake inquired, deciding she'd ask simple questions.

"Uh… Yeah, Mantle. Its a decent place. I think. Didn't really get to sight see." Ruby answered easily, having already decided on certain answers to certain questions should they be brought up.

"The White Fang are all the way out there?" Blake asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing until the resembled those of a cat about to pounce.

"Why not? It would make sense to have a base of operations somewhere like that, right?" Ruby reasoned, giving Blake that much to consider. She had to admit, it would. It was unexpected, something that anyone would agree was always a trait the White Fang showed again again.

"It just seems a little too far out to be useful." Blake muttered. Still, perhaps it was possible.

"In case something really bad happens in Vale, they could always shamble off to

Mantle and regroup there or something, right?" Ruby offered, which made sense to Blake. They would have vanished without a trace if they went over sea.

"Well, tell me. How did you know it was Mantle?" Blake asked, remembering Ruby's lack of knowledge when it came to geography.

"Well, to be honest, I don't really know. But the guards kept mentioning it, so I just figured that where we were." Ruby admitted. She was doing her best right now. Blake's sudden questioning was worrying her, but she was quick. She wanted to stop answering, but so far the questions were simple and innocent. It would draw attention if she went quiet now.

"Exactly what were they doing with you then?" Blake inquired, unable to come up with a good reason.

"To get at you, actually. I guess they wanted you back." Ruby shrugged. Blake nodded slowly, remembering Jaune tell her the same thing. He'd said Adam had something to do with it. This knowledge worked to twang at her emotional chords, giving her reason to draw in a breath to steady herself.

"Alright. I guess I can kind of see it all. But I just don't understand how you got back." Blake told her, her amber eyes searching Ruby. The brunette froze, realizing that she hadn't really thought out a good explanation for this. She had figured everyone would simply not care enough, that they'd forget about it all and just be happy she was back. Apparently not.

"I… I don't really want to discuss it." Ruby muttered, slipping down into a sleeping position and drawing the blanket around her shoulder completely. "In fact I'm kind of tired… Maybe we can talk later?" Ruby suggested.

Blake eyed her leader in silence, wondering what exactly the younger girl was hiding from her. "I suppose so." She agreed, turning to leave. "Just keep in mind that I will know. If I'm involved in all of this too, I want to know exactly how you got back. I need to know you're safe."

Ruby lay in silence, waiting for the door to click, signaling Blake had left. "I think I am safe." Ruby whispered, trying to keep the stinging tears at bay. She couldn't stand lying so much to her team, especially Weiss and Yang. Blake wasn't as close, but she was still a friend. It was rough on the naive girl, the same girl who was still convinced she was going to be a hero.

"I just… Don't know if thats a good thing." Ruby muttered to herself. "Mirgm, why wont you talk to me?" She wondered aloud, her hand venturing to the bandages around her bosom.

She was met with more silence, not a surprise to her. With a shaky sigh, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to overcome her.

* * *

><p>Ruby found herself in a field of roses again, a mesmerizing mix between white and red. She smiled happily and flopped down in the flowers, allowing the green grass to caress her face. She was comfortable and happy. Here, in this recurring dream of her's, there was simply this.<p>

She wished Weiss was here to see what it was like. The heiress appreciated beauty even more than Ruby did. She would love this.

"Ruby."

The brunette turned her gaze to the left, keeping it level with the ground. Beside her was the stretched out form of a boy around her age. He wore a black tuxedo, his black, shoulder length hair matching. His blood red eyes were turned to the sky, his head resting on one of his arms.

"Eeeey?" Ruby inquired, meaning to ask who it was beside her.

"Hmph. I'm hurt." He muttered, a smirk spreading out across his pale complexion. "Just how ungrateful are you, then?"

Ruby's silver eyes widened to the size of baseballs. "Mirgm?"

"The one and only." He confirmed, keeping his attention to the sky.

"I didn't know you were in my dreams, too." Ruby admitted, sounding a little embarrassed. The dream was recurring, but it wasn't constant.

"Don't worry about it. The three of us only share this one; the rest of your private thoughts are exactly that. Private." Mirgm reassured her, lazily plucking a rose from the ground and putting it to his nose in order to catch it's scent for a longer period. "I do so prefer roses over any other flower, to be honest."

"Uuh… Right. Uhm. What is it, anyhow?" Ruby asked, turning her face away from her dream companion in order to hide the blush. There was something about how he had gone about the action, something about how he had almost glanced her way as he held the flower to his nose.

Mirgm flicked the rose away, shrugging. "I thought you had some questions. Ask away."

"You couldn't just answer them before?" Ruby asked, a little mystified.

"Nope."

"What? Eh, why not?"

"Are you going to ask your questions or not?"

Ruby found herself glaring at the person beside her as she sat up. "Well, fine. That kind of counted as a question though, didn't it?"

"Nope."

The brunette sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Pfft, whatever. So uhm… When I uh… Did the thing, what happe-"

"We protected you."

Ruby stared blankly at her companion, not fully understanding. "What do you mean?"

"The three of us are all physical manifestations of each other. We together make up the body which you more often than not control."

"Eh… What?"

Mirgm sighed, turning his gaze to the confused girl, his red eyes locking onto her's. Ruby swallowed nervously, not being one for eye contact. "You died, Ruby. Your body got buried and forgotten about. When me, you and Grimm came together, a new body was formed. Since you were the most materialized form, it was your body that was re-formed. A fortunate fact, considering. It made the lives of many much easier and happier."

"W-whatever. I knew my body got buried. But you're starting to weird me out, Mirgm." She complained, being completely honest. It was a creepy subject to talk about, to think about her body decaying under the ground somewhere while she was here, perfectly alive.

"Mm. My apologies. But in order to answer your question, you must know some of the knowledge that I've been able to figure out."

"Gaaaah!" Ruby responded, flopping back down into the grass with a thud. "Just, try to use the word cookie for the nasty stuff. Alright?"

"I… Alright. Carrying on, when the bo- er, cookie, was reformed, the necessary cells that made it up were derived from you, Grimm and I."

I don't like the word cells."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't like prisons, thats why. They're scary."

Mirgm sighed in frustration. This girl was horribly infuriating. "Very well. The necessary cookies that made it up came from all three of us."

"All three of us being you, me and Grimm?"

"Yes.

"Alright."

"Can I continue?"

"Okay. But remember, cookie."

"Yes, yes. Cookie." He echoed, agitated. One day this childish girl would mature. Apparently today was not that day. "Anyhow, due to each of us having a play in the creation of the new… Cookie, we must also all share it. There are certain attributes we all have that benefit it. You more than us, of course. However, when the need arises, the body will-"

"Cookie."

"The cookie will do whatever is necessary to protect itself. Such as handing over minimal control to me or Grimm. It is a subconscious decision you yourself make, however." He continued, shooting a glare towards Ruby when she interjected.

Ruby was silent as she thought it over. Shockingly enough, none of the news was all that startling to her. She was a lot more relieved in knowing that her paralysis had been caused by her decision. "Cool."

Mirgm looked at her, raising his eyebrow questioningly. "Cool?"

"You know, interesting. Awesome. Uh…"

"I know what cool means, Ruby. I'm just surprised that you're handling the news so well." Mirgm admitted, plucking another rose from the ground. "I expected you to be much more opposed to this set up."

"Mirgm, you talk weird. Kind of like Weiss, just much more… A lot more… Bigger words used morerer?"

"Ruby, is that last word even part of the English language?" Ruby shrugged, not really knowing. Mirgm sighed and sniffed the rose, smiling in content. "Very well. We'll say it is."

Ruby glanced over at the other, her silver eyes taking in his entire form. She had wondered what her new companions looked like. at least she knew one of them. "Say, Mirgm. Why isn't Grimm here?"

"Hes a little busy doing whatever it is he does." He informed her, standing up at last and brushing the wrinkles out of his suit. "Anyhow, Ruby, I bid you farewell for the time being. Do yourself a favor and figure out how to finish our new story, would you?"

Ruby groaned when she remembered the last question Blake had asked, and how she hadn't had an answer for it. Well, if there was any use for sleeping, making up stories was it.

* * *

><p><strong>On another not, I'd like to thank everyone for the 4k views! I'm seriously so hyped! Plus I not only hit the 40 followers mark but surpassed it at 45. Thank you all. It makes me that much happier to know people enjoy my works. ;~; <strong>


	8. Infirmary pt2

**My apologies for the huge delay in this chapter. It isn't even long, gah. About a few days ago I kind of read over the rest of the chapter that was supposed to be this one and though "ew, this isn't all that good". So I re-wrote this. A lot. Took a long time to get what I want, really. Other than the shortness (sorry), I'm really happy with this. Hope you all enjoy. ^^**

Ruby awoke in the dead of the night, her silver eyes wide and panicked. Her breathing was ragged and burned the back of her throat. She was cold and shivering, her teeth clattering against each other. In her head she could still make out the vivid and horrifying image, and nothing she could think of would chase it away.

"Ruby?" The voice was Weiss'. Ruby could only continue to shiver, paralyzed by the morbid after image the dream had left her with. "Ruby!" Weiss called again, this time more persistent.

"W-Weiss…" Ruby managed, fumbling to get out of her blanket. She could hardly see anything past that horrifying scene, though. It was taking almost the entirety of her vision. It was so real that she could almost swear it was. She grew even more panicked when the blanket refused to get off of her, trapped underneath her body.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Weiss asked, concerned enough to finally peak up from her bed. No sooner had she done that when Ruby's failing arm swung around and slammed the heiress in the face, causing Weiss to almost lose her gripping. The jarring pain it caused in Ruby's forearm relieved the brunette of her horrible dream remnant.

"Ow…" She whined, relaxing in her pillow. Her throat burned when she voiced her complaint.

"W-what was that for?" Weiss hissed at her, covering her nose with a hand.

Ruby turned her head to look at Weiss, realizing by the way Weiss held her face that it was her Ruby had collided with. "Weiss! I…" Ruby trailed off, the ghost of the image still on her mind.

"Ruby? Ruby, you're crying!" Weiss said, seemingly not too interested as to why Ruby had hit her. "It doesn't really bug me that much!" She assured the younger girl.

"N-no, it isn't that…" Ruby muttered, checking for herself if she was actually crying. Sure enough, when she brought her fingers to her cheek she found a moistness on them. "Sorry…" she muttered, sitting up and taking a deep breath.

"I… Ruby, it really does hurt…" Weiss admitted, moving her hand to Ruby's. It was warm and wet. Ruby looked down, not noticing the sudden light illuminating the room. She inhaled sharply at the crimson hand upon her's. "Ruby…" Weiss said her name, asking for her to look at her. Ruby tensed, scared. Tentatively she looked up, forcing herself not to squint so she could see.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried, cringing away from her girlfriend. The sight before her was as gory as anything she'd ever seen. Weiss' face was hardly recognizable anymore. Her nose had sunken into her face, at least thats what it looked like. Weiss' upper lip was nothing but a mangled lump of flesh hanging from the side of her face, giving Ruby a clear view of Weiss' mouth. All her front teeth were shattered, and her jaw had cracked in the middle as it tried to follow her nose. Not even the heavy amount of blood could hide her now mangled face.

"I-it hurts, Wuby…" Weiss managed, and Ruby knew she was telling the truth. "Why did you do it?" She cried weakly. The scene before them changed. Now they were in some dark city alley, no one around but them. Weiss lay on her back in a puddle, Ruby standing over her.

"Weiss… I didn't mean to!" Ruby whispered in horror, finding herself looking at her own hands. There were six hands, not two.

"But it's your fault, Ruby. You chose this. Like a child, you hid here like a coward and waited until someone got in the way. Then you tried to get away. It was too late, Ruby. It was your fault." Weiss stated coldly, picking herself off of the ground.

"W-what?" Ruby stammered. She could hardly pay attention to Weiss' words as her face continued to fall apart. Her bottom jaw began to hang lower and lower until Ruby was sure it would fall off.

"You're a fool. There is no going back, now. You chose. You chose, Ruby. Now you will forever live with your decision. Maybe you could have escaped it once, but not anymore." Weiss continued, her words driving an icy fear into Ruby's heart. "Nothing good ever lasts, Ruby Rose. Summer does not last, Flowers do not last…"

"Weiss, please, stop it!" Ruby begged, falling onto her knees as Weiss drew closer, her face continuing to deteriorate. Her eyes made a hissing sound as they began to melt inside of their sockets. Ruby trembled as they were replaced with orbs of blood red, burning her mind as they stared into Ruby's own pools of silver, looking deep into her soul.

"Do you know what also doesn't last, Ruby?" Ruby could only stare back, unable to form any response. "Winter. Winter also doesn't last, Ruby Rose." No sooner had the words left Weiss' mouth when she suddenly melted into a puddle of bones and blood.

"Winter does not last."

* * *

><p>Ruby woke for real this time, a scream preceding her awakening. She hadn't even had enough time to realize she was screaming when the pale lights in her infirmary room lit up.<p>

"Ruby!" Weiss called, rushing to her side from behind a curtain. Behind her was a nurse. Ruby was sitting up, trying with effort to calm herself. She was petrified. "Ruby, what's wrong?" Weiss asked her frantically, worried she'd fallen into another panic attack.

"Miss Schnee, let me." The nurse suggested, cautiously approaching Ruby. "Miss Rose, are you alright?"

Ruby fought past the haunting memories of her dream and latched onto the words, using them to ask herself the same question. It was a long time of silence before Ruby nodded with uncertainty. She made no move to look at either the nurse or Weiss.

"Are you sure? Can you speak?" The nurse asked.

"I-I'm fine…" Ruby answered a little shakily. Her hands started to hurt and she realized that her nails were digging deep into them. She breathed out and unclenched her fists.

"Hmph. Very good. I'll leave you be then. Miss Schnee?"

"I'll stay, Emma." Weiss told her. Ruby listened with fear as the nurse left through the curtain. "Ruby…" Weiss said her name softly, sitting down beside her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm alright, I mean it." Ruby muttered, trying not to cringe when she felt Weiss' arm slip around her waist.

"Good. I was worried again." Weiss sighed, resting her head on Ruby's shoulder. The younger girl made sure to keep her gaze forward so she couldn't see Weiss' face. "You should stop doing that to me." Weiss playfully scolded her, trying to ease both her and Ruby's tension.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I didn't mean to." Ruby whispered, swallowing back a sob that tried to make it past her lips as the dream came rushing up at her, dream Weiss' face vividly clear in her vision.

"Hmph. I can forgive you, if you promise to look at me." Weiss said, taking hold of Ruby's hand.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked her, giving Weiss a pause.

"Of course! I'm not the one who just had a nightmare." Weiss told her.

_Just a nightmare. _

Ruby was almost startled to hear Mirgm's voice. Both Weiss and him were right, though. It was just a nightmare. Tentatively she looked over at Weiss.

The heiress had a concerned smile. Her nose was intact, and her cerulean eyes were also filled with concern for her partner. "You're honestly going to give me a heart attack." Weiss told her, leaning into a hug. Ruby buried her face in Weiss' neck, sighing in relief.

"I know. I'm sorry." Ruby apologized, pulling out of the hug so she could look at Weiss' perfect face again. The heiress' complexion was pale and smooth as cream, her eyes soft and worried. Her lips were small and almost as pale as her skin. There was no blood, nothing was broken. Nothing. Ruby leaned forward and kissed Weiss' cheek. "I'm sorry, Weissy." She said again. "I'm sorry."

"Ruby?" Weiss said her name in question. Ruby shook her head and kissed Weiss' forehead, repeating the words "I'm sorry" over and over as she planted more and more kisses on the heiress' face.

"Weiss, I love you. So much." Ruby told her, finally coming to halt her lips inches away from Weiss'. Ruby had her eyes closed.

"Ruby, what's this all about?" Weiss asked curiously, trying to hide the excitement on her voice. Ruby's lips on any part of her was tantalizing to the heiress.

"I… I just… I don't want you to ever think anything else." Ruby told her, innocently teasing Weiss as she pressed their noses together. "Nothing I've ever done has been to hurt you."

"I know, Ruby. Its alright." Weiss assured her. Ruby's eyes snapped open in worry as Weiss removed her arm from around Ruby's waist and pulled her head away, only to sit herself in front of Ruby. "You don't have to tell me. I can tell. I'm a Schnee, after all. Schnees are smart." Weiss smirked, placing a hand on Ruby's cheek and turning her to look at her. "You're okay, Ruby." Weiss sighed happily, smiling warmly. The statement sounded like a self reasurement to Ruby.

"Yeah." Ruby agreed, pushing the dream as far back into her mind as possible. She didn't want to ever see it again.

"Oh, but if only you weren't so young." Weiss whispered wistfully, gaining the attention of Ruby.

"I'm not that young…" Ruby grumbled, allowing her mind to work on puzzling words Weiss had just spoken. Anything was a good distraction.

_Is she__ but a distraction, then? _

Ruby almost spoke out loud to tell Mirgm no, but caught herself. '_No!' _She answered him. She was angry that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Not that young, but still. I've missed you, Ruby." Weiss told her, drawing close as her hands dropped onto Ruby's shoulders and then slipped down the younger girl's bare arms to rest on her hands. "I don't like missing people." She informed Ruby, suddenly pressing her lips to Ruby's neck and softly kissing it, causing Ruby to shudder. It was a hauntingly beautiful feeling to the younger girl and it brought with it a sensation of want and excitement.

"W-Weiss.. The light…" Ruby breathed, wondering what would happen if someone walked in on them with the lights still on.

"Right." Weiss sighed, removing herself from Ruby's bed. Moments later the lights were off and Weiss was back in the same position. The difference was that it was a lot harder to see.

Weiss decided to go for Ruby's collarbone this time, causing the younger girl to squeak. "Weiss?" Ruby called her name, a silent "what are we doing" following afterwards.

"Don't worry, Ruby. I'm not some sort of animal unable to control itself." Weiss muttered, kissing Ruby's neck again. "I'm just…" Weiss pulled back suddenly, much to Ruby's secret chagrin. "I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" Weiss asked, worried.

Ruby opened her mouth to say no, but paused. Was she? She had just dreamt a horrible image of the same girl, and now they were here, extremely intimate. Not only that, but Ruby was new to all of this. She'd hardly even had any experiences with kissing. "I… I…" She stuttered, wanting to say no. She was enjoying herself. She needed this. "I'm a-alright." Ruby finally managed.

Weiss still stayed back, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, though Ruby couldn't see it. "Ruby, if you're not comfortable with it, its fine. I've just really missed you is all, and now that you're here, I want to be with you a lot more… Maybe in ways I shouldn't."

Ruby's voice caught in her throat, realizing what Weiss was implying. The dream came back to her, the accusing words of dream Weiss haunting her mind. Both Weiss were different, yet they were the same people. She couldn't make any sense of the words that Weiss had spoken in that dream, yet she felt like there was something she was missing.

"Ruby, if you want, I'll leave…" Weiss told her, moving to get off the bed.

"N-no!" Ruby cried, grabbing Weiss' arm. "I need you, Weiss. I need a lot right now. I'm scared and worried, Weiss. I'm okay with this… It helps." Ruby admitted, avoiding the words "I'm okay with the distraction". Even as naive as she was she knew words like that would only hurt.

"Ruby…" Weiss whispered, moving back. This time she went to sit beside Ruby though, much to the younger girl's curiosity. "Come, lets sleep." She suggested softly, pulling Ruby down with her as she lied down. Ruby eagerly complied at first, stretching out with the older girl.

"I don't want to dream like that again, though." Ruby muttered, her eyes tearing up at the thought of suffering through another dream like that one.

"I won't let you, Ruby. I'll wake you should you start to have another." Weiss assured her, gently stroking Ruby's brown and red tinged hair.

"How will you know, though?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes seeking Weiss' cerulean ones. In the darkness she still found them. In them she saw safety, love and an iron will to protect her.

"Because I promise you I will." Weiss told her, planting a light, feathery kiss on Ruby's forehead. "Now, shush and go to sleep."

"O-okay." Ruby agreed, realizing she was actually still tired. With Weiss' body pressed so close to hers it was hard at first, but it didn't take long for sleep to override the feeling it gave her. Shortly enough, Ruby was snoring peacefully with an ever vigilant Weiss watching over her.

* * *

><p>Jaune watched all of his teammates as they chattered on by themselves by a computer screen. They were discussing something that Jaune was very curios about. But he was busy with other things.<p>

In his hand was his scroll, a video loaded up. He'd watched it so many times now that he was certain. Still, maybe once more. Once more just to be sure. He clicked the play button.

Ruby's coffin came into view, carried by the rest of team RWBY and Jaune himself. Around them were the sullen faces of fellow students and the weeping faces of family members and closer friends, team RWBY and JNPR being among the later.

Ozpin began a speech about Ruby and her life, her dreams and who she was as they laid the coffin into the ground. As soon as it dropped below grass level the scroll's camera turned to Ozpin.

Jaune sighed and stopped the video, having made up his mind. He didn't believe Ruby. Not yet at least. Blake had almost convinced him, but not exactly. He had a theory too.

If Ruby hadn't died, then that coffin would be empty. He'd have to find out.

* * *

><p><strong>Please, leave a favorite, follow and review. They're all extremely appreciated. <strong>


	9. The Ebonshade Interception

Jaune was growing impatient. Standing alone outside of Beacon in such horrid weather was not his idea of a good time. He'd much rather be inside his dorm room and double checking his notes so he could maybe squeeze in enough grades to pass this year. Instead he was waiting for Blake so the two of them could go on a delightful evening of digging up Ruby's grave.

"Delightful." He echoed, pressing himself closer to the doorway in order to stay out of the rain. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why Blake had insisted on him being outside when they met up.

It had almost been a challenge to convince her last night. She had fought against the idea, saying that it was a waste of time. She told him he was being a fool, that it wouldn't even be possible for there to be a body to be in there. Except he'd been there while her body was placed in the coffin. So had Blake. They both witnessed her burial.

Neither wanted to think about what they would do if they found Ruby in that coffin. Who would?

Yang would be too confused to even act. Weiss would be horrified. Hell, even Jaune would be scared, and over the years he had grown up quite a bit. Out of all of them, Blake would handle it the best. He was sure of that. There was a reason he had chosen her.

"Jaune!" Blake called, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

"B-Blake!" Jaune jumped, startled by the cat faunus. The two hardly interacted, ever. The terrorist had a habit of scaring the hell out of him. '_Alright, Jauney boy. Delightful evening starts now!' _

"This is stupid." Blake muttered as she slipped in under the archway with Jaune to get out of the way. "I hate rain."

"You are part cat, so…" Jaune trailed off at the look Blake gave him.

"Lets just get your little grave digger's adventure over with." Blake huffed, looking to Jaune.

"See, this is why we should have stayed inside." Jaune grumbled, "I was gonna call a taxi. So we may as well go in and-"

"We're not waiting for a taxi. Lets go." It was apparent to Jaune that Blake was more impatient with this business than he was.

"But we'll freeze!" He tried to reason, backing up further under the archway.

"Lets go, Jaune!" Blake snapped, grabbing him by the hood of his sweater and flinging him forward.

"Gaaaah!" Jaune stumbled out into the rain, slipping and sliding as he tried to keep his footing. After finally coming to standstill, he huffed and pulled his hood up over his head to keep some of the weather at bay.

"There. Now, we can go." Blake said as she walked on past him. Jaune sighed in defeat and fell in behind her, trying to ignore how constricted he felt. Ruby was a close friend to him. She had been the first person he'd befriended at the academy.

At one point she had even given him advice.

And now he was prepared to prove she was really dead. Or that it wasn't her. Honestly, he didn't know anything. But still, what kind of person really wanted to do something like this?

"Jaune." Blake said his name, causing him to look up at the back of her head. For some reason she hadn't worn any jacket or sweater, despite her hatred for rain. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The question wasn't surprising. He was honestly asking himself the same thing. He chewed on his bottom lip in worry, wondering still what would happen. The amount of problems this could cause… Why would it even make sense for her body to be there? It would be impossible.

"Yes, Blake. I'm sure." Jaune answered with finality. He was a leader and above all a friend to Ruby. He had to figure this out.

"I just don't want to find anything there." Blake admitted. Jaune nodded silently in agreement, turning his gaze back to the ground.

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

><p>Ozpin played with the loose thread on his coat absently as he considered his options. If Jaune and Blake dug up the grave, bad things would happen. He was sure of it. He couldn't get someone there in time to block the grave off.<p>

Usually it was Ruby causing him trouble in some way. Now it was Jaune and Blake. "Who would have thought." Ozpin muttered to himself. With a swift flick of his hand the scroll went from displaying the halls of Beacon to that of RWBY's dorm room. Of course he was careful to make sure it was safe enough to do so. Everyone deserved some level of privacy.

He frowned. It was empty save for Yang, who was sitting against the door hugging her knees. An odd sight indeed. He kept a constant ear on the rumors that floated around his academy. Nothing he'd heard explained why the blonde would appear to be in such a state.

The thread suddenly snapped.

Ozpin sighed and set the scroll down, pressing the tips of his thumbs to both his temples in frustration. This was getting out of hand. It would have been simpler if Ruby had just stayed dead, as cruel as that thought was. Sure, the life of Weiss Schnee would most likely be forfeit, but still. Two lives at the cost of who knows how many? He still had no idea what was going on with Ruby. For some odd reason she'd strayed from the original fake story.

Once again Ruby Rose was at the roots of all his problems.

With a sigh he finally made his decision. There was nothing that could really be done for the matter; whatever was about to happen, there was hardly any chance at stopping it. Still, maybe he could try. Grabbing his cane on the way out, Ozpin left his office.

* * *

><p>Ruby found herself locked in a heated argument with Mirgm.<p>

_Ruby, Weiss is right. You're an insufferable brat._

'_You're a dick.' _She responded bluntly.

_I really don't suggest we stay here!_

'_But why! You won't tell me jack shit! "lets leave, Ruby. Why? Just because!" Dick.' _She mocked, punching at the air where she would have thought Mirgm to be.

"Ruby? What are you doing?" Weiss asked, returning with a cup of coffee and a cup of milk. She also had cookies tucked into the nook of her arm.

"Uh… Stretching!" Ruby lied, making a show of stretching her arms and legs.

_No, you were being an ass._

'_I swear to god, the next time I see you in a dream I'm slapping you.'_

_I guess you won't be seeing me in any dreams, then._

Ruby ignored him, no longer willing to care. She had cookies and milk. Better yet, Weiss was here. "That didn't look much like stretching to me." Weiss remarked, sitting down on the bed beside Ruby, "But alright. Here, take this for me." Weiss handed Ruby the glass of milk, which the brunette accepted happily.

"What about those?" Ruby inquired, pointing at the cookies.

"You're not getting these yet."

"W-what?" Ruby was crestfallen.

Weiss' looked Ruby dead in the eye. "You're going to tell me all of your story, Ruby. All of it. You left a lot out of what you told me." Weiss was tense and on edge. She didn't know how the brunette would react, but whatever happened she wanted to be ready for it.

At least she would try to be.

* * *

><p>Jaune grumbled incoherent complaints about the rain while Blake walked ahead in stony silence, her gaze set ever forward. If only Jaune hadn't brought her out here, she thought. She wanted nothing to do with this nonsense. It didn't help that she was highly superstitious. Nervously she clenched and unclenched her hands, almost the way cats did.<p>

The actual gravesite was in Forever Fall Forest, though not too far in. Admittedly, Blake wouldn't have agreed to this if it had been far enough in there.

"Blake?"

"What?"

"Do you have any idea what we're going to do if… If we find something in the grave?"

Jaune's concerns were echoed in the mind of Blake, who wasn't sure either.

"We're not going to find anything, Jaune." She answered confidently. It was the hardest thing she'd done all day.

"Y-yeah… But what if we do?"

Blake mulled the question over for the millionth time. She couldn't settle on anything and it was annoying her.

"Then we ignore it and continue living our life as it was?"

"We couldn't really do that, though. Could we?" Jaune asked almost hopefully. Blake couldn't blame him.

"No."

That word seemed to end the conversation. Neither wanted to really talk about it. Whatever they did, it wasn't going to be ignoring this.

Arriving at the forest put an end to her busy thoughts. By this time the weather had also cleared up to some extent. Behind her Jaune unsheathed his sword while her own weapon, Gambol Shroud, was drawn.

"Keep an eye out for Grimm." Jaune warned her, despite her obvious intentions to do so.

"You don't have to tell me, Jaune." Blake pointed out, giving him a sidelong glare.

"R-right."

"Lets go then."

* * *

><p>Ozpin was silent as the taxi drove, his three companions the same. He had a duty to protect his students. Even if this was an unorthodox way of doing it, it had to be done.<p>

"Remind us once again what our jobs are?" The man beside him asked while he loaded his gun.

"To not harm them in anyway. Your jobs are to render them unconscious and then remove the contents within the grave. Nothing else."

"Do we bury the grave again?"

"It would be better, yes."

"Why are you here again?"

"To make sure you do your job."

The man scoffed and turned his attention fully to the gun in hand. Ozpin could tell just be looking at it that was of a high grade. It was hardly bigger than a conventional handgun. From what he could tell, there was no melee form for it.

"I trust you'll use that gun wisely?" Ozpin asked, his voice threatening.

"Why of course. I'm getting paid rather well for this, aren't I?" The man shot back. Ozpin couldn't see anything under his companion's dark hood.

"If your job is done correctly."

"And if an accident occurs?"

"There will be no accidents. You and your men are respected for your ability to get the job done; don't betray that trust."

The man went silent and put his gun away under his ebony cloak. "Very well. Stop the taxi, we'll go from here."

* * *

><p>Ruby was silent. It hurt her that Weiss didn't believe her.<p>

_Just answer her, Ruby. Don't be touchy about this._

Ruby nodded, though she couldn't not be touchy about it. Still, she may as well tell her the fabricated yarn her and Mirgm had made up.

And so she began to tell the story she had been able to construct through the help of Jaune and Blake.

And Weiss listened.

At the end, Ruby was morally conflicted. At one point she was going to tell Weiss the truth… But when?

"Ruby, you're not lying to me, then?" Weiss asked quietly. When Ruby looked into her eyes, she could see a sadness there that she didn't understand.

"Of course not! Why would I lie to you?"

Weiss shrugged, smiling happily. It didn't quite reach her eyes. "No reason, I suppose. I don't know why I really asked, to be honest."

The room fell into silence as Ruby swished her milk around in the cup. "Can I have those cookies?" She finally asked, innocently.

Weiss sighed and held them out to her. Ruby was quick in accepting them, almost as if Weiss would snatch them back and keep them for herself if she didn't.

"Ruby… After you finish there, can we cuddle?"

Ruby was surprised. Weiss wasn't one for asking to cuddle. Still, she wasn't going to object. "Sure! But why the sudden change, Ice Queen?"

Weiss froze. It had been a very long time since she'd heard that nick name. "Ruby, I cannot believe you'd go so far." Weiss glared at the brunette in anger.

"I'd go as far as physically possible for you, Weiss." Ruby mused, leaning into the heiress. Weiss was stunned.

"W-when did you get so… so…"

"One day, Weiss." Ruby whispered. Weiss barely caught the words.

"Ruby? Did you get into something you shouldn't have?" Weiss asked condescendingly.

Ruby shook her head, a sad smile playing across her face. It wasn't like her to be this way. She used to be so… Different. The last few days, she'd felt as if she was fluctuating between personalities that were both her's and someone else's.

"No, Weissy. Now, about that cuddle you wanted?" Ruby set her glass down on the floor beside them.

"Right." Weiss set her untouched coffee down beside Ruby's empty glass. Ruby then leaned into a hug from Weiss and pulled the covers up over them as they lied back into the pillows.

_Ruby, this is a waste of time._

'_Weiss is never a waste of time.' _She thought back, trying to do so as threateningly as possible.

_If you keep it up I fear she may end up being one. _

'_Mirgm, shut up.'_

_Rubyyyyy, he'sssssssssss right. _

Grimm's sudden input startled her. It also made her realize Weiss was playing with Ruby's hair albeit gently. '_Grimm, stay out of this.' _The name bugged her, though she kept that to herself.

_Verrrrry well._

'_Thank you.' _

There was a moment of hopeful silence, followed by a _Ruby, please listen to me _from Mirgm.

'_Mirgm, please, just drop it!' _Ruby was frustrated and wanted to pay attention to her girlfriend, who's breath she could suddenly feel next to her cheek.

_Ruby, would if I could. Do you consider me a friend? _

Ruby scowled at being put on the spot like that. '_Of course you are, Mirgm.' _

_Then as your friend, I advise you spend less time on this girl. _

'_Fuck off, Mirgm.' _Ruby was angry now. Honest, brutal anger. She was usually the last to anger. Once again she felt as if the feeling wasn't completely her own.

_Very well. But keep in mind we will do whatever we have to to keep you safe._

Ruby was silent. She remembered all too well what he meant. A hand reached up and came to rest on her still bandaged chest. At the same time Weiss planted a light, feathery kiss on her cheek. Ruby smiled, trying to fall back into that feeling of being her again.

Weiss gave her another kiss, and that was enough for Ruby. "Weissy~" she softly sung the heiress' name happily, turning her head to kiss Weiss' lips. It was a brief, short one, but it made Ruby's heart flutter and eased all her troubles. Once again she felt like Ruby Rose.

"Stealing is bad, Ruby." Weiss scolded her playfully. Ruby was confused and stared at her blankly, causing Weiss is sigh. "Nevermind." Weiss leaned in for another kiss and then went back to gently caressing Ruby's hair while humming Mirror Mirror.

Despite it all, everything felt right in the world to Ruby.

* * *

><p>Blake stood watch while Jaune dug up the ground with the pointy end of his shield. "I should have brought a shovel…" He grumbled, grunting in effort as he ripped another chunk of dirt out of the ground.<p>

"Its no wonder you and Ruby get along." Blake remarked, trying to make light of the situation. After all, they were in the process of digging up the girl's grave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked, setting the shield down and glaring at Blake.

"The two of you are hopelessly incapable of doing anything at times."

"You're a jerk." Jaune grumbled, reaching for his shield again.

His hand never made it.

Something clinked against his shield. Seconds later it was frozen to the ground in a solid block of ice. At first he was terrified Weiss had found them. "B-Blake?" He stammered, stepping away from his shield-sheath as his gaze swept his immediate surroundings.

"Jaune, stay down!" Blake hissed, dropping to all fours, Gambol Shroud still drawn and ready.

"Is it Weiss?" He asked worriedly, doing as told.

"I doubt it." She answered, squinting as she tried to spot whatever had caused the ice.

"Then who-" He was cut off as something slammed into the back of his head. He was completely out of it by the time Blake realized what had happened. She searched with her eyes wearily, finding nothing.

By this time she was worried. "Who are you?" She asked the empty air, scowling at her own stupidity. Who the hell would answer a question like that if they were trying to knock her out? Or worse, kill her.

Her cat ear picked up an unusual sound, one that didn't belong with nature. With sudden, raw fear, she realized it was the sound of a gun being cocked. She took off into a sprint as the bullet was fired. She heard it hit the dirt with a thud.

She leapt to the side of her and behind a tree as another bullet fired, this one coating the entire tree in ice. She stumbled back as the ice seemed to reach out for her in tendrils, making snapping and crackling sounds as it stretched towards her.

Another bullet slammed into the dirt beside her. She jumped out of the way as another one made contact with the ground she was about to land on.

"Shit!" She finally gasped as she let herself sail past her spot and land outside of the cover the tree had originally provided, landing on all fours.

"Come here kitty kitty!" A voice called. It sounded violent and irritated, and the fact that whoever it was knew she was a faunus scared her even more. It was a male voice, though, so it wasn't Weiss.

Three bullets raced through the air and landed in a triangle around her before she had a chance to react. The ice was fast and deathly cold as it latched onto her, coating her in a thick yet still growing blanket of itself.

She tried to fight and struggle but she couldn't. It was up to her shoulders and she couldn't move. _Thunk. _She heard something hit against her flesh, but she didn't feel it. Nor did she know where it hit.

And then she was out.

Ozpin turned away from the scene feeling guilty even though he knew he had helped save them all from a horrible amount of trouble. After his hired men disposed of the body in the coffin they would call the cops. The cops they were relying on were pretty corrupt and would do anything for an extra bit of lien, one of those things being agreeing to say it was the White Fang who attacked.

Ozpin had played on Ruby's new tale in order to make up the plan in such a flash. With Blake convinced the White Fang were now after her it would possibly work for the faunus. He had informed his hired mercenaries about her faunus inheritage as an after thought, feeling it would help solidify the idea that the White Fang were behind this in Blake's head.

"Well done, Ozpin." He muttered to himself, partly in admiration for his own ingenuity and partly out of disgust for how far he had been forced to go with this.

* * *

><p>Alister Ebonshade lazily tossed the purse of lien over to his servant. "Be a dear and stash that in the vault with the rest."<p>

"Yes, master Ebonshade." The woman complied, turning to leave. Her hair was of an ivory color.

"And when you're done, come to my chambers. I have some tension I wish to… Unload."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I made an OC for this. I sort of felt the need to, figured it would help the plot out. Which I feel it did, a lot. And now we have a very, very heavy plot. But who said its finished growing? I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, to be honest. <strong>

**Please, leave a review, follow and favourite. They're all extremely appreciated. Have a great night guys!**

**Edit: So, uhm... Yeah. I planned on an update for tonight. But I kind of got some extremely bad news, so depending on how it all plays out, I may not be writing for awhile. I apologize in advance and I'm hoping that I can continue to write. **


	10. Just as peace seems possible

Ozpin paid little attention to the screen before him. All it did was display trivial stats about the current productivity of Beacon. He was hardly interested right now.

_Knock knock._

Ozpin sighed. His eyes darted to the empty coffee mug on his desk. Perhaps if he waited long enough…

_KNOCK KNOCK._

"Huh." Ozpin grumbled some complaints to himself before telling the knocker to come in. The door opened and in stepped his visitor, a man he knew far too well.

"How are you, Green?" The visitor greeted, a grin plastered on his near perfect complexion.

Ozpin grunted in recognition and gestured to a chair stationed in front of his desk. This was a visit he had been expecting for more than a year, now. "I'm surprised you were able to get in here without being recognized." Ozpin remarked, reaching out for his empty mug.

The man chuckled, a very amused sound. "Green, you mistake me for a petty criminal. I've been in this business for a long time; I've learned things."

"Hmm. If what you say is true, why would one such as yourself drop yourself into a nest of hunters and huntresses?"

The man snorted. "Hardly. They're children, more green than you are. I may have no White Fang behind me anymore, but come on."

Ozpin nodded in uncertain agreement. Torchwick was good, that he was certain of. But was he really that good? It had been a very interesting relationship these two had had the last few years.

"So, Green. We're here to talk Red, yes?" Roman leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. His cane began to tap lightly on the floor.

Ozpin sighed. Of course, that was the reason. He kept in touch with Roman daily and the two swapped news as much as possible. The recent happening were no different. "Right, Ruby. Yes, that troublesome girl." Ozpin sighed in exasperation. Roman chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Did I not warn you, Green? You should have just left her be that night." Roman told him for the thousandth time.

"If I'd done that, you and I would still be playing those foolish games."

Roman tipped his head slightly, a grim smile replacing his usually mocking one. "Those foolish games helped keep our more… Serious game in the shadows, though."

Ozpin grunted in agreement, knowing what he was referring to. "Hmph. There are times where I wonder how many serious games you play, Roman."

"Ditto." The ginger chuckled, tapping his cane ever quicker.

Ozpin cracked a small smile as he opened up a new page on his scroll screen. "Here, take a look at this." Ozpin handed the device over to Roman, who mumbled some sort of complaint about having to do things under his breath.

"Huh." Was all Roman could say. After watching and listening to the audio of a crazed Ruby Rose ghost sitting alone in her closet, Roman was shoken. "You weren't lying." He stated quietly.

Ozpin scowled. "Of course I wasn't lying, Roman. However, that isn't what I wanted to discuss. I've heard it before."

Roman furrowed his brow, trying to guess who are what Ozpin was talking about. "What, ghosts going crazy and then coming back to life shortly after?" He joked, unable to help himself.

Ozpin shook his head, not catching the humor. "The name Mirgm. I didn't realize it until recently."

"What?" Roman stared questioningly at his long time rival and friend, tapping his cane to the beat of some old classical music he'd heard before.

"That damn name, Roman. I remember hearing it, or reading it, it doesn't matter. Ruby may have been crazy at the time, but I doubt the name was imagined." Ozpin was on the edge of his seat now, his brown eyes narrowing in thought. "I just don't know what it means."

Roman was silent for a while, as was his cane. There was a heavy feeling of mystery shrouding Ruby, he thought. 'Damn Red. I knew you were trouble.' then, out loud he asked "Why do you even care?"

Ozpin looked Roman dead in the eye, his expression one of shocked disbelief. "Because people don't just come back to life, Roman. I listened to that one sided conversation for a good while. I'm willing to bet there is a lot going on here."

Roman suddenly began to chuckle, a sound out of place in this scenario.

"Roman, do explain yourself." Ozpin commanded, his voice void of any sort of amusement.

Roman smiled mischievously, his cane beginning to tap once again. "You're scared of this girl, aren't you?"

Ozpin was silent as he eyed his visitor. "I am." He finally admitted, relaxing back into his seat with a sigh. "I don't like things I don't understand. And with those damn students trying to dig up her grave…"

"Send them away for awhile." Roman said, as if the solution was obvious and had been there the entire time.

Ozpin shook his head. "To do what? The Grimm population has been pretty controlled lately. The White Fang have more or less been pretty silent for the last little while. I have no good excuses."

"Make one." Roman snapped. The cane came up and swung to the side so he was holding it sideways in front of him with both hands. "Old Roman here hasn't retired yet."

Now it was Ozpin's turn to laugh. "Old indeed." Roman glared. The toothy grin on his face betrayed the idea that he had taken serious offence to it. "But really. I know you don't sit on your ass all day, but I find it would be presumptuous to assume you're really that caught up in criminal affairs anymore."

Roman's face turned dark and troubled, causing Ozpin to raise an eyebrow. "You'd be surprised, Green." Roman mumbled, his gaze turning to his feet. "I could easily pull something off in order to give you a reason to send teams RWBY and… I forget the other one?"

"JNPR."

"Right. Team Spacemen. I could whip something up to get them out of your hair for awhile, Green."

Ozpin was curios. "Roman, I'm not sending students off into a suicide mission. If whatever you're now involved in is that much of a danger…" Ozpin trailed off, leaving both question and threat un-voiced.

Roman chuckled, his dark look fading away. "It isn't that bad, I swear. Just some sciencey stuff you wouldn't be interested in."

"I'm not so sure about that." Ozpin mumbled, gaining another chuckle from Roman.

"Listen, Green. Just give me the okay and I'll get them out of here." Roman's offer seemed sincere enough to Ozpin. It was what he was planning on doing that bothered him. Roman had a tendency to get into things far beyond his understanding and control.

Still, he needed to do something about teams RWBY and JNPR. This was possibly one of the best solutions without sounding suspicious. "Very well. But I'm warning you now, Roman. You better not be trying to deliberately hurt my students."

Roman smiled excitedly. "Great! Here we go again, team RWBY and old Roman Torchwick, back at each other's throats! Oh, the fun we're going to have!"

"Roman…" Ozpin growled threateningly.

Roman paused, the smile still plastered on his face. "No worries, Green. They'll be safe enough. Besides; the only one I'd want to do any damage to is that damn Red."

"Which you wont."

Roman shrugged innocently. "I'll do my best."

* * *

><p>Alister Ebonshade grinned as he read over his new mission. Once again it had to do with Beacon students. He was okay with that, though.<p>

He set the scroll down and turned his attention back to the naked, ivory haired servant girl going about her duties.

She wasn't the real thing, though. Close, but not quite.

However, soon enough, he'd get her. Soon enough how would know what an angel tasted like.

* * *

><p>Blake and Yang sat alone in their dorm, cuddling underneath the blankets on Yang's bed. It had been two weeks since the White Fang had interfered and attacked both her and Jaune. Yang was instantly jealous about her girlfriend being out with Jaune somewhere, so Blake had been forced to spill the beans. Of course, Blake only stated that they were going to visit Ruby's old grave and talk about what life had been like before Ruby had supposedly died. Yang had taken that explanation and was fine with it.<p>

However, Blake wasn't allowed anywhere out of Yang's sight.

"You stopped purring." Yang mumbled sleepily, much to Blake's annoyance. She was tired enough to fall asleep, but Yang kept keeping her up someway or another.

"Yang! You're tired, I'm tired, let's go to sleep!" Blake whined, begging her girlfriend to relent.

"You really have a thing for catnaps." Yang grumbled, burying her face in Blake's black hair.

Blake was pissed. "Yang, I thought we agreed to stop with the puns. We did, didn't we?"

"A world without puns would be a CATastrophe!" Yang told her with sudden energy, putting emphasis on the cat in catastrophe.

Blake was silent. Her entire body twitched in rage as she entertained thoughts of ripping the mane of hair on Yang's head from her scalp. She was ready to spill blood.

And then Yang was on top of her, smiling wickedly and pinning Blake's arms to the bed. "Y-Yang! I swear, you're going to get it!" She shouted, thrashing violently underneath the much heavier blonde.

"Riiiiight." Yang scoffed, rolling off of the faunus and stepping onto the floor. Blake was furious as she sat up and shot Yang a look so volatile it could kill a Nevermore.

For Yang it was only more entertainment.

"Yang, I swear, I hate you." Blake grumbled, throwing herself back down into the pillows after deciding not to severely injure the blonde.

"If you were Weiss you would have called my insufferable." Yang smirked. Blake didn't crack a smile. "Ugh, you insufferable moron! How dare you insult my royal ass! I should go spend a bunch of my Schnee money and make you feel jealous with all my new stuff!" Yang continued, doing her best impression on how she viewed the heiress.

Blake shook her head, trying to hide a smile. "You truly are insufferable, though." The faunus told her, throwing the blankets over her entire body.

"Eh." Yang grunted, leaping onto the bed once again, vaulting over Blake. "Can I come in?" She asked hopefully, much to Blake's chagrin. It was hard to deny Yang after such a redeeming play.

"Eh." Blake mumbled in answer, which was more than enough for the blonde. Yang scrambled in underneath the covers and wrapped her arms around the faunus' waist. Blake turned over on to her side so Yang could nuzzle against the back of her neck.

For the first time in over two weeks, Blake was content.

* * *

><p>Ruby kept her head down low as she stalked through the halls of Beacon, a weary eye searching endlessly for the threat that lurked behind every corner. The shadows worked against her, and the wave of fresh-out-of-the-classroom-students only served to hinder her speed.<p>

_Ruby._

The brunette cursed under her breath. She had made a point of ignoring Mirgm since the infirmary. The later still refused to let up and leave her alone though, much to her ever growing anger. 'Go away, Mirgm. I'm not talking to you.'

_Ruby, I feel as if I may have crossed a line._

Ruby scoffed, narrowly avoiding collision with another student at the same time. Still no sign of her pursuer. _'Mirgm, we're not discussing this. You're an annoying twit.'_

Mirgm's silence was amusing.

Ruby turned another corner and almost ran into JNPR, the four of them caught up in some debate that Ruby didn't understand.

"I'm telling you, I never did it again!" Jaune protested hastily. Nora and Pyrrha were giggling while Ren gave him the most sympathetic look the brunette had ever seen. "I mean it…" He whined, sulking as they carried in to their next destination.

Ruby smiled, utterly happy for the most part. She stood watching them until they were out of sight. Life was, for the most part, back to normal now. She sighed happily and leaned up against the wall, avoiding a large group of students.

"Ruby Rose!" The shrill voice pierced the brunette's eardrums, causing her to recoil into the middle of the hall.

"Ooow…" She complained, searching frantically for the blood thirsty Schnee.

"I'll have you smothered underneath extra credit work!" Weiss screamed, rounding the corner. Ruby began to quickly backpedal, stumbling over her own feet as her hand desperately searched for a handhold on the wall. "You illiterate moron, do you have any idea of what it means to get a good grade?" She continued as Ruby fell roughly to the tile floor.

"I mean…" Ruby shriveled under Weiss' volatile glare, trying to pick herself up.

"You mean WHAT? Do you mean to fail? Do you want to be stupid?" Weiss' assault was as cruel and cold as the Ice Queen liked to portray herself as. Ruby felt the icy tendrils of fear grip her heart as her voice caught in her throat. "Ruby, I know you don't take it serious, but honestly, its as if you don't care at all!"

"I… I… I…" Ruby stammered, halfway off of the ground. Weiss took an angry step forward, causing Ruby to fall backwards in an attempt to keep the distance between herself and her angry partner. She was crestfallen, having lost her progress once again.

"Let me make this clear and simple to you, Rose." Weiss' use of Ruby's last name thoroughly terrified the brunette. "If you don't get off your tiny little ass and get to work on your assignment, you'll never see another cookie in your life."

Ruby cursed in her head, looking for a way out. The cookie threat was easily avoidable; she could figure a way around that. If only she hadn't stopped to be happy about the turn of events lately. "Weiss…"

Weiss huffed, straightening her pose. All around them were students who had paused to watch the spectacle. She shot each individual a glare colder than death, the kind of glare that left you with nightmares for months. It didn't take them long to start moving again. "What?" She finally asked, looking at Ruby condescendingly.

"Do I have to?"

Weiss froze. Ruby recoiled, realizing suddenly just how stupid of a question that was.

On the other end of things, Weiss was beyond the point of white hot rage. Her toes curled in her boots, her eyes widening to unbelievable proportions, her knuckles turned stark white as she curled her hands into fists. She was biting her tongue so hard she was almost drawing blood.

Through gritted teeth she growled "Yes, Ruby. You have to."

Ruby swallowed loudly, picking herself shakily off of the ground. "Now?"

"Now." The answer was final. Ruby shrugged her shoulders in defeat, an audible sigh escaping her lips. No matter what she just couldn't catch a break.

* * *

><p>Ruby grumbled angrily about the questions she was forced to do. "This is unfair." She stated grumpily, thunking her head down on the desk.<p>

"You'll live." Weiss assured her from her bunk, her nose buried in a text book.

"Says you!" Ruby retorted, making a scene of dying in her chair.

"If you don't be quiet you'll wake those two up." Weiss reminded her, referring to Blake and Yang who were curled up comfortably on their bed.

"I wish you'd do that with me." Ruby pouted, causing Weiss to guffaw.

"Suggesting I haven't already spent more than enough time with you."

"Not nearly enough!" Ruby whined, leaning back in her chair so that her head level was below Weiss'.

The heiress glared at her partner in silence, wondering just what had caused her to fall for such a childish girl. All she knew is that she had. So she swiftly moved and planted a kiss on Ruby's lips. Only peck, but it was enough to make both their hearts flutter for a few seconds. "Now work."

Ruby grinned stupidly and turned her attention back to the assignment, full of renewed vigor and energy.

And in the time it took her to re-read the question that energy was gone.

* * *

><p>Alister sipped the red wine slowly, marveling at it's quality flavour. Although the brand name "Dust before Dawn" wasn't known by him, he decided he'd have to get more of it.<p>

"Laila, how goes your… Ordeal?" He asked his ivory haired servant girl offhandedly, not really interested. He just wanted a reason to look at her. Her physique was near perfect; her curves were perfection. Many times he had felt those curves against his own body. It never got any less stimulating. At the moment he had a perfect view of her from the behind.

He favoured the front more.

"Fine, sir." She muttered in response. Alister nodded, not even listening really. He didn't care.

"You're so much like her, Laila. I only wish you were." He sighed, turning his gaze to the afternoon sun. Like everything bright on this planet it was dulled for him, rendered ineffective by the multiple shadows he harnessed.

Sitting out here on his pool deck he wondered just how Roman, his new employer, was doing.

* * *

><p>Roman was bored. Completely and utterly bored. It had been a few days of planning and preparation, and now there was nothing to do but wait for the creatures to be released in the mountains. It would serve to help his old buddy Green and his colleagues. One side got time, the other results.<p>

Ozpin gained an opportunity get a pay raise. All he had to do was observe Red for some time and aid his new friends in discerning if what they thought had happened with Red was true or not. Not an overly difficult task, really.

"Its damn cold up here!" Mercury complained, storming into the furnace room with a dark glare on his usually calm and amused face. Roman sighed, cursing whatever gods had stuck him with this annoying brat. Still, Roman could sympathize.

"True enough. I like to take my mind off of it with other things myself."

Mercury raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "And what things would that be?" He asked, throwing off his snow drenched winter coat to let it dry by the furnace machine.

Roman cracked a devilish smile and gestured ever so slightly towards his nether regions.

Mercury went red with rage as he tried to find a way to retort. Finally he settled for pursing his lips and turning to face the source of heat, ignoring the raucous laughter coming from the ginger, who was by this point in tears.

"Why, Mercury, are you really such a prude?" Roman teased when the laughter stopped, only to be sent into another fit.

"Cinder was right. Going with you was stupid." Mercury muttered spitefully, rubbing his hands together to help generate some more heat between them.

Roman's laughter settled down to a grin as he sat back on the steel chair, waving the cane back and forth in front of him. "Cinder was a useless whore, a dog who only did as she was told. She had no ambition, Mercury."

"And you do?" The silver haired spat back incredulously, turning his gaze to Roman.

The ginger chuckled, sitting forward in his seat to rest his chin on the head of his cane. "Mercury, Mercury, Mercury. Of course I had ambition. Something that stupid wench didn't comprehend. I offered her the chance to leave them behind, you know. She tried to kill me. Now look which group is making more progress; this one or the White Fang?"

Mercury shook his head in silence, fixing his stare once more on the dark, cold iron that was the floor he stood upon. "Honestly, neither. Those stupid white dogs haven't been seen in months and these scientists have made little to none progress wise."

"Maybe. Maybe not. These Grimm mutation studies may have paid off, Merc. Word is that some of the escaped test subjects got involved with dear old Red."

Mercury scowled, remembering all too well who Red was. "That Rose girl was possibly the worst thing to ever happen to us."

Roman shrugged, agreeing while at the same time not. "For once she may prove to be of use."

Mercury continued to look at the floor in silence. There was a foreboding silence in the air now. He wanted to ask what Ruby had to do with all of this, but he knew he wouldn't get any answers. Whatever it was, he didn't want any part of it. His coat was dripping, adding to the list of annoyances he was creating about this place today.

The metal door that acted as the entrance to this slightly warm place suddenly burst open, letting a gust of frigid air in to assault Mercury's more or less exposed form. He cursed, turning around to see the new comer.

"Good knews, Roman!" The green haired man shouted happily, bounding across the iron floor to stand in front of the ginger. He left the door open.

"Eh, what?" Roman asked, looking to Mercury for help. The younger of the two was busy closing the door.

"The pack has been deployed!" He explained, grinning from ear to ear.

Roman nodded, a grin creeping on his face. "When do you think we'll be seeing teams RWBY and JNPR, then?"

The man stopped and thought for a moment, seemingly frozen in time. It was certainly an interesting sight, Roman thought. The door closed.

"Within the next twenty eight hours, judging by how swift the pack vaulted down the mountain!" He suddenly blurted in a rush, as if queued by the sound of the door hinges clicking as it closed.

Roman laughed, a sound slightly too evil for the motives he had for doing this. "Great, great! Thank you, eh…" Roman paused, realizing he couldn't use a color name for this individual. Much to his distaste, he said "Thank you, Oobleck, for how much you've helped my colleagues in gaining the knowledge needed to know where to start with this testing."

Oobleck grinned proudly, pleased to see that his work was paying off. "Soon enough we'll have domesticated Grimm! We're making leaps and bounds in scientific progress, don't you think? Remnant won't have anything to worry about soon enough. Not from the Grimm at least."

Roman smiled in response, feeling a little guilty. He knew what this group of maniacs were planning to do. He knew that domestication was only the first step. Still, let a man dream, right? "Aye! I could smoke a cigar right now if I had remembered not to leave them at Green's office!"

Mercury snorted. "Red's team alone would be enough to take these things out. They have an extra four coming along. I don't think celebrating is warranted."

Roman shrugged and Oobleck nodded. The three listened as howls suddenly pierced the air, the sound lonely and angry.

* * *

><p>Mirgm watched through the eyes of Ruby as the girl named Weiss Schnee slept peacefully, unaware of the brunette's ever adoring gaze. He snorted in disgust, wondering what Ruby could see in such a rich snob.<p>

"She's a waste of time." He muttered bitterly to himself, looking around for his companion who was nowhere to be found. "Grimm, where the hell are you?" He called, growing frustrated when there was no response. He had the urge to cause massively painful damage to Ruby's head but decided against it.

Alone in here, he felt many things. Ruby had only recently called him a friend. But now she wasn't talking to him. What could have changed within such a small time that he missed? He was betrayed and angry. The side of him that he denied existence was showing itself.

"Ruby, don't leave me alone in here…"

* * *

><p>Ozpin sighed. Roman had just dragged a huge nest of Grimm to a local mountain village. It had taken him a few days, but he had kept to his promise. As easily resolved as most Grimm related missions were for both teams RWBY and JNPR, this wouldn't occupy them for too long.<p>

The scroll dinged as the mission briefings were sent to both Ruby and Jaune.

* * *

><p><strong>So uhm. Yeah. I guess this chapter makes the longest in the story so far. ^-^ This chapter was a serious break from the normal drama of things, while still keeping that tone of "oshit, things are getting ready to happen". Indeed they are. <strong>

**This also makes chapter number ten for Ghost of a Rose, originally planned to be 4 chapters in length. Gah, those first chapters are horridly bad. Still, they set the foundation for this, which in all accounts is a good thing. On another note... That finale, right!? Like, unf!**

**And did anyone watch the Q&A livestream? It was heavily hinted at that Grimm human are possible. I myself am beyond happy about this. *grins***


	11. A flight into doom

**Alright. Sorry for the extremely long pause between chapter updates this time. Stuff got in the way. Also, please read the notes at the bottom of the chapter. I got some news. **

* * *

><p>"We all ready then?"<p>

"Yeah. I think so."

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang all stood before the Airship, supplies slung over their shoulders in back packs, each of them eager and excited. Some more so than others.

"It's been a long time since we've all been out on the field together!" Yang exclaimed, leading them onto their transportation despite the fact that Ruby was the team leader.

"Yeah." Blake agreed in a slightly less than enthusiastic voice.

"Oooh, this is gonna be great!" Ruby squealed, appearing to be happier than a pig in shit.

Weiss, however, was of different opinions. She wore a strained smile for Ruby's sake, but on the inside she was conflicted and scared. The last mission they were on had resulted in Weiss believing Ruby had died. Despite Ruby being alive after all, she didn't want to push her luck.

She followed her team up into the ship, trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. As they settled into their seats and the door retracted, the heiress accepted her fate. Blake and Yang took their places at the front end of the passenger compartment, immediately diving into a one sided conversation composed of Yang babbling on about her nonsense while Blake nodded absently and read her book.

"Weiss!" Ruby sat down heavily beside her and promptly leaned into her girlfriend, humming happily. The heiress wished she could feel the same way right now.

"Ruby, did you make sure to pack everything?" Weiss asked in a huff, trying to find something else to obsess over. The brunette paused in her humming as she scrunched her face up. She stayed that way for a good while, too. Weiss eventually sighed at her leader's hopelessness. "Nevermind."

Ruby shrugged and snuggled up to Weiss as much as the taught seat brace would allow. "It's gonna be a lot of fun! How long do you think it will take?"

"Huh?" Weiss looked down at her blankly.

"You know, to hunt down the Grimm and take care of 'em?"

Weiss inwardly cringed, realizing Ruby would hardly care about anything else while they were out there. "Shouldn't take long." She replied, offering a reassuring smile.

Ruby nodded slowly, the grin she'd been wearing all day dissipating. "Weiss… Are you okay?"

The question took Weiss off guard at first, but it quickly made sense to her. As always, her aura betrayed her to the brunette. "It's nothing, Ruby. Just didn't sleep much last night." She told her, trying to blow it off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Ruby was silent for a moment, and Weiss wondered what was going on behind those silver eyes. The brunette was a whole world of confusion; she never could tell what was going on with her.

"Bull SHIT."

Weiss' face went red with indignity. "R-really, Ruby? Couldn't you be little less vulgar?"

"Eh, sorry, Weissy. But my point still stands!"

"What POINT?" Weiss hissed, unable to figure out why her girlfriend was so knowledgable about what words meant.

Ruby sat up now, removing herself from Weiss. The heiress had to admit that she didn't like that. "You know, the point I made!" Ruby defended herself, pursing her lips as her cheeks flared red.

Weiss raised an eyebrow in her direction and placed her hands on her hips. "Ruby, you didn't make any points at all. Now calm yourself, will you?"

The brunette's eye twitched. The two stared each other down, Ruby cursing her girlfriend under her breath. "Weiss, you're totally not okay." The brunette stated angrily, crossing her arms.

Weiss looked over to Yang and Blake, seeking help, but they were now both caught up in an argument of their own.

"Weiiiiiis…" Ruby begged, her expression going to one of concern. "What's got you so… Blergh?"

The heiress scrunched up her nose in distaste for Ruby's choice word. "Ruby, you need to work on your vocabulary…"

"Weiss."

Weiss sighed. She didn't want to voice her concerns to Ruby; it would either ruin Ruby's trip or the foolish girl would dismiss Weiss' concerns and not give it any thought, even though she expected the earlier to happen. Ruby always cared more about how Weiss felt than anyone else. Even if it meant putting herself into an uncomfortable position, Ruby didn't mind, not if it was for Weiss' sake.

"Ruby, you're such a pain sometimes." Weiss muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Oh." Ruby responded simply, her shoulders slumping. "I just… You're not nearly like yourself, Weiss…"

There was a sudden jerk as the airship suddenly picked up in velocity, signaling that they were finally fully on their way. "I'm alright, Ruby. Don't worry about me, alright?" Weiss tried a smile, but she felt that it fell flat.

"Uh huh." Ruby agreed, crossing her arms spitefully. Weiss sighed in response. The heiress was probably wrong, but she swore that Ruby was silently muttering something, probably an unvoiced insult directed at Weiss' inability to communicate.

As their journey progressed without hindrance, Weiss knew her feelings weren't going to get any better.

* * *

><p>Roman breathed into his gloved hands, trying to preserve the little warmth still residing in them. Winter was finally here, and atop this giant mountain the snow had fallen heavily and the cold winds blew harshly.<p>

"Are you not entertained?" Mercury asked bitterly, approaching from behind. They stood at the edge of a cliff, providing a great view albeit the perilousness of their position. Far below them a wild pack of genetically altered Beowulves ran toward the village that resided below.

"Entertained isn't exactly the word I'd go with." Roman answered, pausing in his efforts to keep his fingers warm.

"Hmph. You must be getting some sort of sick amusement from this."

Roman shrugged. "I'm indifferent, really. I do what I have to in order to get what I want. Surely you can relate, eh?" He glanced over at his silver haired companion, who was wrapped up in bundles of coats and cloaks.

Mercury snorted, his silver eyes angrily focusing on the ginger. "At least I have a conscience."

Roman smirked, amused. "Sounds to me you're applying that I do not."

"Indeed."

Roman shifted the bowler hat underneath his hood before turning his full attention to Mercury, his smile all but gone. "Young Mercury, every decision I've ever made has always been a blow to my conscience. Its not that I'm without one; its just extremely tired after so many years."

"Years of what?" Mercury inquired, his gaze shifting to the dizzying drop before him.

"Not listening to it." Roman chuckled, turning away from the cliff and treading back to the black metal building behind them.

Mercury swallowed and took a quick step backwards.

He didn't trust that man behind his back.

* * *

><p>"Yang, drop it."<p>

"I want to know what you're gonna do though!" Yang protested, her lavender eyes begging the faunus to tell her her plans.

"I don't plan on doing anything." Blake answered simply, deciding to return to her book. She had grown tired of this conversation, and while she loved Yang, she also loved to end cliffhangers.

Yang guffawed, appearing to spasm in silent outrage in her seat. Blake raised an eyebrow in meek interest. "Whaaaaat the hell is wrong with you?!" Yang cried, drawing the startled attention of both Weiss and Ruby.

"Nothing, Yang. I have no plans on pursuing the White Fang. Simple as that." Blake hissed through gritted teeth at her partner, narrowing her eyes as she hid her face further in the book.

"B-but…!" Yang let out an exasperated sigh and slumped into her seat, turning her gaze to her feat.

The faunus was being honest. She had no plans to pursue her so called attackers. The truth was that she didn't believe it was the White Fang. It seemed far too convenient. And if it was, that would mean she had enemies all over Vale. Hell, they could be all over Remnant. The plan was far too organized for it be only the White Fang's doing.

The airship suddenly dipped at a sharp angle, going from perfectly horizontal to almost a dive. "Oooooohgosh!" Ruby shouted, her hands flying out to grab onto Weiss, who had gone as pale as she had ever been.

"Yeeeeeee haaaaw!" Yang shouted in raw excitement, a wide grin sprawled across her face as she pumped her first into the air.

Blake gritted her teeth as she felt her stomach lurch. This wasn't exactly what she had expected. She forgot about her last curiosity and focused on keeping the tuna she had had for lunch down.

"Weiss!" Ruby's sudden screech of primal terror startled Blake and she dropped her book, which clattered down the row of seats and then landed roughly by the door of the airship. The faunus snapped her attention to Ruby and Weiss, and inhaled sharply at the perilous sight.

Weiss was gripping Ruby's wrist with both hands as the brunette struggled furiously to find a handhold. "Ruby, hold on!" Weiss shouted at her, arching her back as she attempted to pull the girl back up. From what Blake could gather from the scenario, if the airship didn't level soon bad things were going to happen. Her eyes shifted to look at Ruby's former seat brace, which was now a warped mess.

She didn't have time to figure out why right now, though.

"Ruby?! Weiss, hold onto her!" Yang ordered the heiress, scrambling to undo her brace. Blake noticed this and her eyes expanded to unimaginable sizes.

"Yang, wait! No!" She cried, reaching out with one hand while releasing her brace with the other. The airship jolted upwards for a moment, slinging the blonde and faunus into the air in a wild flailing of limbs. Weiss held onto Ruby, who went up a few feet and then landed with a loud thunk.

Blake hung suspended in the air, her hand still outstretched towards Yang, whose entire attention was on the brunette. As they began to descend, the airship leveled out again. The floor of their transport rose up to meet them a lot quicker, and they both collided into it with grunts of pain.

As Blake stood up shakily, she counted her blessings. If the airship hadn't leveled, she wouldn't have been any better off. Her first glance was to Yang, who lying crumpled on the ground, panting heavily. "Yang?" She asked worriedly, stepping towards the blonde before turning to look at Weiss questioningly and concerned.

"Go see her!" Weiss urged quickly, already helping an unsteady Ruby to her feet. Blake dismissed her two other partners and rushed to the aid of her lover, dropping to her knees in a skidding hault. She placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, who responded by looking up at her girlfriend with a pained smirk.

"Heya, Blakey!" Yang wheezed, and Blake cursed. Scowling, she gestured for Yang to sit up. The blonde hesitantly obliged, wincing as she carefully positioned herself up against the seat. Blake's first move was to look for blood. Seeing none, she sighed. Not necessarily out of relief; internal bleeding, puncturing and broken bones were also a possibility, as were concussions.

But at least there wasn't any messes. Yet.

"Yang, you're an idiot." Blake muttered angrily, yet it was far from enthusiastic.

"Aww, come on! I'll-" Yang coughed, interrupting herself. "Be fine!" She assured, pushing Blake's attempts to physically examine her away. "What about Ruby?"

"She's going to be fine." Weiss answered her, crouching down beside the blonde. "Soon enough, anyways." The heiress shook her hood in exhaustion, offering Blake an understanding pity smile. "I understand your pain, sister."

The faunus nodded, a small smile touching her lips. She appreciated the heiress' similar position. "Weiss, go look after Ruby. I'm going to quickly look over Yang and then check on our pilots."

Weiss nodded, and then paused as she stood up. "But, we're still moving. Wouldn't that mean the pilots are fine?"

Almost as soon as the words left the heiress' mouth, the small hatchet door leading into the cockpit opened, revealing a Beacon pilot dressed in a grey jumpsuit. "Ma'am's, is everyone alright?" He asked, his face hidden by the blake visor of his helmet.

"More or less." Blake mumbled, trying to look past the pilot's shoulder to no avail.

He nodded quickly. "Very good. We'd like to apologize for the sudden disturbance; it was rather unexpected for everyone. We've got everything back under our control now-" He paused, his head turned in the direction of Ruby's ruined harness.

"Don't worry about it." Weiss calmly told him, glancing back and forth between him and Ruby.

The pilot simply nodded. "Right. Very well. We have the airship back under control. There should still be a few hours left to the flight. I suggest you all get back in your seats and try not to break anymore braces."

Blake, Yang and Weiss nodded in return while Ruby simply slumped in Weiss' seat, something Blake noticed with concern. When the pilot left, closing the hatch behind him, Weiss wasted no time in getting to Ruby.

Blake then turned to Yang, who was wearing her goofy, reassuring smile. Her lavender eyes told a different story, a story of pain. With a calming sigh, Blake settled to sit beside the blonde and hold her hand.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?"<p>

Ruby huffed, balling her hands into tight fists and glaring at Mirgm like a child who had just been told she couldn't have something. When he made no signs of doing or saying anything else, the brunette finally gave in. "I'm fine enough, I guess."

He nodded slowly, his red eyes flashing strangely. "I'm glad. You worried us, Ruby." His formal and almost monotone voice was lathered in concern, and the brunette wondered if it was honest.

"Sorry…" She muttered, looking around for Grimm. Naturally he was nowhere to be seen in the rose filled field.

"Ruby, walk with me?"

Mirgm's request shocked her, and she was still angry at him for calling Weiss a waste of time. Still, she didn't know if she had anything else to do. She had next to no knowledge on how this whacky dream stuff worked. "Promise not to call Weiss a waste of time?" She asked, figuring that if he said no, she'd refuse to go.

Mirgm smiled apologetically, his eyes flashing once again. "Sometimes I accidently speak my mind. My apologies, Ruby." He held a hand out towards Ruby.

She stared warily at it for a moment or two before placing her own hand in his. She was shocked at how warm and caring it felt. "Alright!" She agreed, receiving a wide grin from her once-again-friend.

The two began a leisurely stroll through the red flowers. For some odd reason Ruby couldn't help but be reminded of blood whenever she looked at a rose lately. Here, though, they were simply things of beauty once again.

"Are you at all curious as to why you're here, Ruby?" Mirgm asked, leading Ruby carefully up a steep hill.

Her tongue stuck out at the corner of her mouth in concentration as she watched her footsteps, weary of anything that might cause her to lose her footing. Only when she reached the top did she answer. "I must have fallen asleep." She replied offhandedly, gazing with admiration at the green hills before her, littered with red dots. It was like a reverse strawberry, she thought with amusement, suddenly wanting strawberries.

"As likely as that seems, you would be wrong." He told her, drawing a questioning look from Ruby. "Well, I wouldn't call it falling asleep." He shrugged, his red eyes glinting.

Ruby pondered for a moment, before looking suspiciously up at her companion. His extra two feet on her actually forced her to do so. "You wanted me here?"

"Still not WHY you're here. I'll admit, I feel better knowing we're on better terms. You should visit more often." He suggested, sitting down in the grass with Ruby's hand still in his.

The brunette pouted, accepting the fact that they were no longer walking and that she had once again been wrong. She sat down beside him and thought extremely hard, stumped. "Because I wanted to be?" She asked helplessly, already knowing that was the wrong answer.

Mirgm bowed his head slightly, his red eyes soft bright. "If only. It would be so much nicer if you came here of your own accord." He mused to her, a friendly smile gracing his face.

Ruby nodded thoughtfully, deciding she may have to accept his almost request.

"But why am I here right now?" She begged, certain that if Mirgm knew the reasons for her to not be here, he would also know the reason that brought her here.

"Would if I could tell you." Mirgm sighed regretfully, his red eyes flashing brightly for a moment.

Ruby looked down at the ground, stumped. She had no more guesses.

"But, since you are here, why don't we enjoy the ever wonderful weather here?" Mirgm suggested, trying to avert Ruby's attention from the question, among other things.

"Well, I… I guess." Ruby shrugged, leaning back onto her elbows. Mirgm did the same, fascinated by her strange choice of posture. The brunette closed her eyes, a small smile touching her lips.

"I thank you for forgiving my previous insults towards the Schnee girl." He told her, feeling a little guilty.

"Just don't do it again, alright?" Ruby replied, shifting her head to look at him with an iron glare. Mirgm nodded sincerely, pleased that he had made amends with the brunette.

They sat there for what could have been seconds or hours; it didn't matter here. The sun never moved, the clouds only drifting away to be replaced with more. The flowers never wilted and the light breeze never died. It was a paradise, of sorts, Mirgm thought often. With Ruby here it seemed just a little more enjoyable. Perhaps it was because of the loneliness that had plagued him, or maybe it was the fact that he was finally building some sort of friendship with his host.

Either way, he was happy to have her here.

* * *

><p>Weiss was worried, angry and utterly done with the events of today. Ruby sat unconscious in the seat beside her, her head rocking back and forth like a ragdoll as the airship swayed. Blake had gone to a pilot when they had discovered Ruby's ailment, but he had said there was nothing to be done as of the moment.<p>

"This is hilarious." The heiress grumbled spitefully, referring to the amount of trouble Ruby had caused her as of late.

"They're taking her back, right?" Yang asked, her lilac eyes trained on her younger sister. If there was anyone in the world who would have been more worried than Weiss, it would be the blonde.

Blake shrugged, though Yang didn't notice it, her gaze not even close to where the faunus was sitting. "They could end up leaving her with us, in case she wakes up in the field."

"That would be utterly irresponsible and stupid." Weiss argued, "Ozpin is more careful than that, isn't he?"

"Yeah, I think it would be more likely that they'd call off the entire thing." Yang agreed hastily, taking a look at the faunus, searching for Blake's agreement.

"I wouldn't think so. There are a lot of valuable lessons we could pick up from all of this." Blake muttered, knowing she'd never get them to agree.

"I don't give a single flying cluster fuck!" Yang spat, slamming her fist down hard on the padded seat beside her.

Weiss was silent, her gaze calculating and considerate as she eyed her partner. "Blake has a point. While this could be an unexpected circumstance, I think Ozpin would see the values in not calling the mission off."

"And what, risk the death of Ruby and maybe even more?" Yang snorted incredulously, the idea sounding illogical to her.

Blake stared at her girlfriend long and hard until the blonde noticed it and turned to look at her questioningly. "Ozpin isn't here to train some idiots who can't function properly should the unexpected happen. He's training the future protectors of Remnant, Yang. You're one of them, as is Weiss, Ruby and I."

The blonde considered this for a moment. After a moment she growled something incomprehensible and crossed her arms angrily, frustrated with the possible danger her entire team could be in. Still, the faunus had a point. They were huntresses; danger was a part of their lives.

She just didn't like Ruby being put in the crosshairs of said danger.

And she wasn't the only one, either.

Weiss was cold with fear for the fate of her secret girlfriend. The mountains were going to be cold, steep, and filled with all sorts of animalistic predators, including Grimm. Even though she had originally planned to convince Ruby to head out in search for their prey immediately, Weiss was thinking they'd be setting up temporary shelter instead.

* * *

><p>Alister was excited. Watching from his place on the shadowed cliff, he eagerly awaited the landing of the approaching airship. His gun was loaded, as was other things.<p>

He was looking forward to emptying his many rounds.

* * *

><p><strong>Alrighty. So uh, I may or may not have to leave this on hold for a month, and that would be assuming the best. The chances are pretty 5050, so there is that. **

**However, if that does happen, I'll surely be coming back with some good stuff. **

**imgur,com/QZepcFp**

**^ That there is a drawing of Mirgm. (change the , to a . ) His appearance differs from that of what has been told in the story so far for reasons, and they're all purposeful. **

**Hoho, art is fun! Sorry for the poor picture quality. The camera on my phone is trash. **


	12. We are one pt1

**Alright. Long period in between the last update, but at least it wasn't a month like I thought it would be. **

**Also, we have only one more chapter to go after this one. Ready for an intense ending, guys? **

**Oh, and one more thing. I want to thank the 80 followers that supported this story. You guys are amazing, and being so close to the end of this story, I'm really feeling it. I've got another story in major production, but still. I've been working this story for a few months now, and I finally understand what it feels like to leave characters you came to care for behind, even if I'm only borrowing them from someone else. Although, I do have some remedies for this in mind. *hint hint***

_**BIG**__** WARNING:**__ Really gruesome scene in this chapter. If you want to avoid reading it, I have the first word where the scene starts in bold, and the word where it ends in bold, too. _

Weiss was fuming.

She watched angrily as the airship departed, leaving them stranded out here in the mountain she had forgotten learn the name of. She huffed and turned to watch Yang and Blake drop Ruby into the tent they'd constructed with the aid of the pilots before they'd left. The heiress was feeling too anxious to leave the edge of the cliff overlooking the small village of Chapel down at the foot of their unnamed mountain.

She could almost smell the things she was sent here to hunt. "Hurry up, Yang." Weiss hissed to herself, simultaneously gripping the hilt of Myrtenaster tightly in her hand. It made a soft clicking sound as she pulled it halfway out of it's sheath.

"Weiss?" Blake called her name questioningly, her amber eyes focused on Myrtenaster. Weiss didn't make any move to release her hold on the rapier.

"What is it? Is Ruby still stable?"

"She's fine." Blake assured her, stepping away from the tent to join Weiss over at the cliff edge. The heiress could see in the way the faunus moved she was just as troubled. "Yang is of the notion that someone should stay here with her, though."

Weiss nodded in full agreement, shocked that the blonde had come up with an intelligent idea for once. "So she can stay, and we'll go hunt the Grimm."

Blake sighed, realizing full well how difficult her companions were going to be. "Yang doesn't want to stay here."

Weiss blinked blankly, shocked. "W-what? Why not? The damn blonde is so damn protective over her baby sister every other time." Weiss grumbled, referring to multiple scenarios.

"Don't ask me," Blake said, shrugging, "but she said maybe you would like to?"

Weiss looked at Blake as if to suggest the faunus was insane for even bothering to suggest the idea to her. "I'm much more efficient on the field then that blonde brute is. You and I will go out there, take care of this inconveniently timed problem quickly and get Ruby back to Beacon, safe and sound." Weiss stated in a tone that meant she wasn't open to the idea of discussing it.

"It isn't going to be a one day mission, Weiss. We're going to be out here for a while." Blake looked over at the tent, her cheeks turning a rosy color, "Besides, I kind of wanted to do this with Yang around. I haven't gotten to discuss 'it' with her."

"It?" Weiss asked curiously, her eyebrow raising in the most mocking way possible.

"It." Blake flatly answered her, shooting a warning glare at the heiress. It was apparent to Weiss that there was no one else on the Weiss-gets-to-kill-Grimm train. "Do us all a favor and stick around here. When Ruby wakes up, I'm sure she wouldn't mind having you around to keep her warm. It's cold up here." Blake finished with a smirk, one that Weiss didn't miss.

"W-what? What in dust is that supposed to mean? You're insane, Belladonna!" Weiss accused her, too shocked to come up with anything better.

Blake eyed her knowingly, and Weiss glowered at the observant Faunus girl had, once again, been observing her team mates. "Just do me a favour, will you? Ruby would probably appreciate your company more than mine or Yang's."

Weiss scoffed, digging her foot into the ground in frustration. "The two of you will be quick, then?"

Blake nodded.

"I mean really, REALLY quick."

"Yes."

Just then Yang joined them, wrapped head to toe in winter gear. Weiss cringed at the orangeness of it all, and Blake could only do the same. Well, at least the boots were black. That was something. "Alright Kittycat, we gonna head out?" She asked, shouldering two heavy packs no doubt stuffed with items for her and Blake. Weiss glared angrily at the darkening horizon, certain that she'd be a better choice on the field than Yangwould.

"Mhmm." Blake motioned for a pack, but Yang shook her head.

"You can see better in the dark. I'd rather you be able to fight unhindered in case we run into something." Weiss was shocked by Yang's decision, but she couldn't disagree. For once the blonde was being smart.

"Get yourself killed and you'll regret it." Blake warned her, getting Yang's goofy grin in return. Weiss found herself eyeing the tent, wishing her own lover was smiling at her right now.

"Alright then, Weiss. We're off!" Yang's expression turned dead serious, and Weiss could only huff. She knew what was coming. "Take damn good care of my sister, got it?"

"Don't worry about it, imbecile." Weiss mumbled, fully unsheathing Myrtenaster. She lit it up with fiery dust, illuminating the snow around her with a slight red glow and penetrating the ever growing darkness. "I'm a trained huntress."

Yang nodded, and with that, her and Blake were off. Weiss didn't miss the kiss the two shared before they did, and she couldn't help but worry that there was a small chance she wouldn't be seeing them again. Her team meant a lot to her.

She watched with quiet anxiety as the two vanished behind the vale of trees, rock and darkness. She joined Ruby's sleeping form in the tent, her attention falling instantly to the fire that burned gently inside. It was warm, and the flames didn't reach too high or too wide. "Damn, Yang can make a decent fire." She remarked to herself, placing her rapier next to the burning coals.

"Mirgm…" Ruby mumbled, causing Weiss great curiosity. It was apparent the girl was still sleeping, and must have been going on about her dream apparitions. Still, Weiss had yet to hear her mention that name before. Ruby's dream characters were usually pretty consistent.

"Oh, bother." Weiss grumbled, cuddling up to Ruby underneath the blankets on the cold ground, seeking the body heat of her partner. She pressed herself to Ruby's back, leaving her backside open to the chill mountain air. Ruby needed the heat more, and so the brunette got to benefit from the direct warmth of the fire.

She remained ever vigilant, her ears and eyes open to and sight or sound. If anything tried to get Ruby, Weiss would know.

* * *

><p>"So, how about the rest of my friends?" Ruby absently asked for Mirgm's opinion, plucking a dream rose and twirling it between her fingers.<p>

"They're alright"

Ruby was silent, her silver eyes clouded. Mirgm watched her, expecting some sort of response. Instead, Ruby stretched, trying to stifle a yawn. "You're so exhausting, Mirgy!"

Ruby's nickname irked Mirgm, but at the same time he enjoyed it, taking guilty pride in the fact that he now had an alternative name to be called by. "You're a troublesome girl yourself." He muttered, pondering many different things.

He wanted to experience things. As he experienced, he also remembered memories that he never knew he had claim to. Like a city similar to Vale, yet colder. And greyer. He remembered distantly chasing a vague figure. She seemed like a young girl. He had seen scenes of dark alleys, frozen lakes and crowded streets.

He wanted to complete these memories.

He didn't know what it was that stimulated such memories, but he wanted to know. He had to find out.

"Ruby…"

The brunette lazily looked over at him, her expression one of disinterest. "Whaaaat?" She drawled, yawning again. Mirgm couldn't explain the way he felt when she made that odd squeak. Twice now she'd made it, and it was having an odd affect on him.

He suddenly felt more animalistic. Bllodthirsty. Hungry. A low, guttural growl escaped from his throat.

"Mirgm…?" Ruby asked uncertainly, cautiously moving back a fraction of an inch. The movement excited Mirgm, drove his senses wild. He knew what he wanted to do to her frail body.

He slowly stood up, a sadistic grin morphing his calm features into a disturbing image. Ruby continued to move away, her eyes more alert and weary. Mirgm knew she noticed the sudden changes. It would only make things more fun, he presumed.

He took a light step towards her, and she hastily scrambled backwards, not yet in a standing position. "Ruby… Don't run. You can't run here. " He assured her, but Ruby still continued to move away.

"Mirgm, are you alright?" She asked meekly, her eyes fearful.

Her voice stimulated him further.

"Ruby, I must learn. I have to know!" He growled, leaping toward her. She gasped in surprise and tried to move out of his way. He laughed madly at the look of shock on her face when her semblance failed her. "Ruby, you are destined to help me! There is no other choice, no other meaning to your life! It means nothing anymore; only mine! MY life!"

Ruby was terrified. Mirgm had suddenly gone mad. Hovering above her, keeping her arms pinned to the ground with his hands, he reminded her of a hungry wolf, about to enjoy the savoury taste of it's prey.

"There is a reason I exist, Ruby! You, Grimm, that Schnee BITCH! None of you matter! You are but a slave!" He shouted, his teeth gnashing as he shouted forcefully.

**Ruby** let out a primal scream as he suddenly bit down on her shoulder. It burned horrifically as his teeth grinded through the rough fabric of her blouse and then her soft flesh. Mirgm shivered, her warm blood gushing forth to fill his mouth. She pushed against him through ear splitting screeches, and it only served to feed his urge to cause her more pain.

Mirgm roared around the bleeding meat in his mouth and forced his teeth further, in order to sustain a more iron grip. "Weiss! Help me!" Ruby suddenly screamed, kicking wildly at nothing as tears fell freely from her horrified eyes.

That Schnee bitch can't help you here, dear Ruby! Mirgm thought bitterly, ripping his mouth from Ruby. With it he brought a sizable chunk of her shoulder. A vicious scream tore out of Ruby's mouth, her eyes bulging out of their sockets in disbelief that this was happening.

Mirgm laughed madly, his eyes glowing a blinding red. His jaw was soaked with crimson liquid, Ruby's blood covering his fair face. He couldn't tell if she was even seeing him anymore; she kept screaming that damned name.

"Weiss Schnee is nothing to you, Ruby. Understand that!" Mirgm shouted, raising a fist and jamming it into her gory wound. Her scream didn't falter, in fact, it grew stronger. She gasped and choked, wailing in horror and pain. His fingers dug into her flesh.

"I will know soon enough!" He shouted, tearing an obscene amount of flesh from the terror struck brunette, spreading the wound down her arm. Blood gushed in red spurts from her broken veins and ravaged skin, soaking the ground around her. Mirgm could only smile as Ruby fell limp underneath him, her shrieks starting to quiet.

Still, not fast enough.

With viperlike swiftness, Mirgm bit and chewed through Ruby's gullet, silencing her screams into gurgles. He swallowed his quarry, savoring it's taste. Ruby's eyes were crazed, filled with **shock.**

She was still alive.

Still perfectly conscious.

"You're just an almost perfectly real version of yourself within your mind, Ruby." Mirgm explained, running a bloodied finger along her pale cheek. "It makes you rather useful."

Her eyes stared straight into his, blood bubbling at her lips. It was as if the wounds weren't affecting her, other than giving her unbearable pain. She wheezed at him, and Mirgm cocked his head in interest. Her mouth was moving in speaking motions, meaning her screaming and meaningless complaining was over.

Her throat suddenly stitched itself back together, skin and sinew merging together to create her unblemished neck once again. The blood faded with it, and Ruby's movements paused. Her eyes were still windows of pain, but she kept it inside.

"If you must speak, speak. I've got memories to attend to, Ruby."

"Weiss!"

The word was frantic and worried, a hint of pain on her breath. Mirgm narrowed his eyes, knowing it wasn't a plea for help. No, it was more like a plea to help Weiss. With curiosity, he extended his conscience, looking outside of his place in Ruby's mind to the outside world.

The Schnee bitch was bleeding profusely from her face. Mirgm grinned in sick satisfaction at the stunned look on her face. He saw her attacker, a man dressed in black.

Mirgm shouted in shock, surprised and terrified.

The man's gun was pressed roughly against Ruby's temple.

* * *

><p><strong>So, after that, I want some opinions. Was the sudden switch with Mirgm strange and awkward? I can't really decide. I'd really, really appreciate it if you guys could leave some input, because its nagging me. <strong>

**Anyhow, until next time, thanks for reading. You're all great. **


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